In back-to-back series the Minnsota Wild have started things off with a fair amount of fireworks. It seems that once again, a bonkers Game 1 against the Avalanche is an indicator that we’re in for a wild few weeks of hockey, but only if the Wild manage to clean up some things that went wrong on Sunday night.
Unlike their first game against Dallas, the Wild were on the wrong end of a high-scoring game.
A key difference is unlike the Stars in that game, Minnesota was an active participant in what ended up being a game that featured 15 goals by 14 different players. Down 3-0 at one point, the Wild battled back to eventually take a 5-4 lead before letting the Avs find another gear and run away with the game. It’s hard to feel good about a playoff loss, especially one in which seven goals were given up, but there was plenty to love about what the Wild did as there is to feel a little nervous and uneasy about as this series with Colorado gets underway.
Winners and loser from Wild’s insane 9-6 loss to Avalanche in Game 1
Winner: Wild Offense
Some additional credit goes to resiliency here as well, something the Wild showed a surprising amount of despite the loss. Philadelphia came off a similarly charged series as Minnesota did but instantly got stuffed into a locker by Carolina in a 3-0 loss.
Minnesota was down 3-0 in the first period to the Avs but battled back to take a 5–4 lead in the second. Even with how things went from there, the mere fact that the Wild were able to will that sort of a comeback into existence is worth celebrating, and it’s a sign that they’re capable of hanging with Colorado in this series.
Whether or not the defense can sustain a lead is an entirely different question, but there’s absolutely no questioning the fight Minnesota showed. The Wild unloaded on Dallas in Game 1 and made a series out of things, and while the results were different against Colorado the battle certainly feels like it might be the same.
Loser: Minnesota’s defense
Of course, one thing that could keep this from being a series is the Wild’s defense having more holes in it than a slice of Swiss cheese. Jesper Wallstedt missed a few goals he should have stopped but for the most part Minnesota’s defense was completely lost against Colorado.
When the Avs found a new gear, the Wild had absolutely no answer to it. Teams should not lose playoff games when they score six goals, but they do when they give up nine the other way. It was an embarassing showing from Minnesota, one that really makes it hard to feel great about the offensive firepower they showed on the other end of the ice.
Making matters even more frustrating is the fact that the Wild were in this game — and even took a lead at one point — but never really felt close to being capable of winning. That’s all on the defense and it needs to change before the bottom falls out against a team in Colorado that clearly showed up ready to play.
Winner: Quinn Hughes
A secondary winner here is Quinn Hughes’ bank account, which is about to get a lot heavier based on how much he’s been turning it on in the playoffs. We already knew the Wild were acquiring one of the best players in hockey when they made the trade for Hughes, but this is the gear they paid for.
He was instrumental in why the Wild beat the Stars but he carried that impact over in Game 1 against Colorado. He assisted on the first goal of the night for Minnesota, one that started an — avalanche — of goals that ultimately neutralized five goals scored by the Avs. Hughes also scored a goal himself, and essentially willed the Wild back into the game with his greatness.
That’s the kind of superstar power the Wild needed and Hughes continues to show up in big moments exactly when Minnesota needs it the most. It didn’t result in a win in Game 1, but the fight he helped inspire is something that proved the Wild can hang with the best team in hockey and is once again proof that the team needs to find a way to keep him in the State of Hockey for the long haul.
Loser: Kirill Kaprizov
Where one superstar is stepping up, another is completely failing the Wild. Kirill Kaprizov has been a rumor for almost the entirety of the playoffs and it’s a big reason why Minnesota lost a game like it did on Sunday night.
A grand total of 14 different players scored for the Wild in Game 1 but none of them were the team’s most potent offensive weapon. Kaprizov has gone ice cold since scoring in the opening game against the Stars and he’s all out of excuses. The absence of Mats Zuccarello was used to explain away the lack of firepower Kaprizov showed on power plays but that’s not the case anymore. Zuccarello returned in Game 5 against Dallas an Kaprizov is still on the side of a milk carton.
In a game where the Wild powered back the way that they did, Kaprizov showing up could have been the difference. We saw that on the other side with Cale Makar and Nazim Kadri both scoring difference-making goals while the best and most expensive player on the ice continues to flounder and be a tota non-factor when his team needs him the most.
Loser: Jesper Wallstedt
This one hurts, but there’s no getting around it. Wallstedt was brilliant against the Stars and is a primary reason they Wild are still playing playoff hockey. He’s also one of the biggest reasons Minnesota got sliced and diced in Game 1 against the Avs.
Not all of the goals were his fault, but Wallstedt will have to own giving up eight goals after he gave up 15 goals the entire series against Dallas and has now surrendered 60 percent of that in just one game. That’s horrendous, and while it’s not an accurate representation of the impact Wallstedt has had for the Wild, it’s unfortunately what the current situation looks like.
Teams live and die by how well their goaltending is this time of year and accident lawyers could have a field day the massive swing from the whiplash Wild fans have from thinking Wallstedt was on a heater to watching him get dragged behind the woodshed in Game 1 against the Avs.
John Hynes might catch some heat for leaving his guy in net while he surrendered eight goals and lost a game his offense gave him six, but enough credit has been built up to have still trust Wally can turn it around. The margins tightened in a significant way, though, and Wallstedt needs to get his confidence back and keep the sheet much cleaner than it was in Game 1, otherwise the good vibes will be as good as gone.
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