Highlights:
- Wild now lead the Central Division with a perfect record of 3-0-0
- Wild trail by multiple goals late in the third period but come back to win in overtime
- Eriksson Ek’s has a hat trick, including a goal with less than a minute in regulation to tie the game and the overtime winner
- Zuccarello scores 4 points (2 Goal, 2 Assists)
- Kaprizov makes important contribution with 3 different assists
- The Jet’s would have sealed their win with an open net goal against the Wild, but it was called back because Jet’s wing Kyle Connor was offsides despite being uninvolved in the play.
- Winnipeg gets their first point of the season as they fall to 0-2-1
Tuesday night’s home opener against the Winnipeg Jets was one of the best Wild games I have seen in a while. If it was a playoff game we would remember and commemorate it for years. The Wild bested the Jets 6-5 in overtime in a quick paced, physical game. The Wild consistently fell behind Winnipeg, trailing 5-3 with six minutes left in the game. Minnesota won thanks to late game goals from Foligno and Eriksson Ek as well as a perfectly executed overtime goal from Ek.
It was a physical rivalry game
If anyone doubted that the Wild and Jets are developing some bad blood and a good rivalry, Marcus Foligno’s fight with Brendon Dillon speaks for itself. Fights are not usually worth discussing in a recap, but anyone who has not seen Foligno’s wicked jumping punch at the beginning of the fight is missing out. Right now Foligno is everything a fan could want in a hockey player. He has the leadership skills and he makes important plays on the ice with his stick and with his body. His late game tip against the Jets moved the Wild within one goal of the Jets. The Wild have struggled to consistently get ahold of the puck near the net and in the slot, but Foligno has been able to muscle into the slot for some crucial goals.
The Jets’ defense focused heavily on Kaprizov. Some of the biggest hits and dirtiest plays were reserved for the Russian sensation, although he was willing to dish out some hits and a dirty play as well. A high hit from Kaprizov landed him in the box. Almost immediately after exiting the penalty box and entering the play Kaprizov was tripped by the Jets’ Dubois. Kaprizov forced multiple penalties from Jets defenders including an overtime crosscheck and trip that gave the Wild a 4-3 advantage that was critical to the Wild’s final goal on a three on one rush.
It was also a game of shooters and skill
While some physical rivalry games slow to a crawl as players bulldoze one another, this game had no shortage of stick handling and fantastic shots on both ends. Kyle Connor scored two goals on two great shots and led the Jets with four shots. The Jets scored five goals, but only eight points were awarded to its players which indicates a lack of assists and goals created by team play and cycling. The Jets benefitted from some amazing shots and plays from individual plays who put the team on thier shoulders. The clearest example of this was the goal from Andrew Copp who got the puck in Winnipeg’s defensive zone and carried it all the way into the Wild’s end before rocketing off a perfectly placed shot against Talbot. The Jets have some elite shooters and setup men that will make them a formidable opponent no matter what their record is.
Mats Zuccarello led the team in points. He made some impressive plays and he was essential to redirecting Kaprizov’s behind the net pass with his leg so that Ek could score the final goal of regulation. Zuccarello missed his chance to take a couple shots in front of the net in the second period that could have earned him a hat trick. He had four points, but could have easily had five or more.
Kaprizov still has not scored a goal this season, but despite that he has been the Wild’s most valuable offensive asset. Kaprizov and Zuccarello are tied as the Wild’s point leaders with 5 points each. Kap’s goals have been crisp and effective, and every defender should tremble at the idea of facing him in open ice. Early in the game he crossed up a Jets defender to create an opportunity for an open shot. Every game he makes great entries into the offensive zone and gives the team good chances to setup and shoot. In overtime Kap only becomes more dangerous to other teams. As mentioned, he drew a penalty from the Jets in overtime after frustrating them by weaving around the neutral and offensive zones. He also provided the perfect pass to Ek for Ek’s game winning goal.
Kaprizov deserves the praise, but Eriksson Ek deserves just as much. He scored the Wild’s first goal of the game off a wraparound during a broken play. It was an appropriate way for the Wild to score on a powerplay as questions linger about how capable the Wild’s power play unit is. Ek swatted the puck backhand out of the air on a rebound off Zuccarello’s leg to tie up the game in the third period. Later, he completed the hat trick in overtime off the pass from Kaprizov. Ek was great in the faceoff circle as well. After Tuesday’s game he is up to a 61.3% face off win percentage. Ek’s start to the season should easy any fears Wild fans may have about Ek as a number one franchise center.
Fourth line makes waves
The stat sheet does not reflect how well the Wild’s fourth line played. Duhaime, Gaudreau and Bjugstad kept pressure on the Jets and ensured that they could never feel secure on the ice. Duhaime is channeling his inner Rudy, doing whatever he can to prove he deserves to be on the roster. He has made some impressive pushes towards the net including another scoring chance against the Jets that mirrored his called back goal against the Kings. Duhaime also had a highlight reel worthy hit that sent a Jet flying.
Freddy Gaudreau has made me regret my initial skepticism about him in our first article of the season. Dean Evanson saw something in Gaudreau that his career stats do not capture. Evanson’s faith in Gaudreau is especially evident in his pairing Gaudreau with Fiala for penalty kills and some other special teams play. Fiala has been the best two way player on the Wild so far this year and so far Gaudreau has proven that he deserves to play next to him. Gaudreau even made it on the scoreboard with an assist. He was the only member of the fourth line to score a point this game.
The 6-5 score does not accurately reflect the goaltending
The Jets’ goaltender, Connor Hellebuyck did not play well. Hellebuyck won the Venzina trophy for the 2019-2020 season, but he does not look like the same goaltender. He faced over 40 shots against the Wild, but he was shielded from a number of rebounds and close calls by his defenders and a lot of luck. If not for fairly good play from the Jets defense, the Wild would have put up an embarrassing number of points in this game. Through three games Hellebuyck has a 4.66 Goals Against Average and a underwhelming .856 save percentage.
Talbot struggled early but got better as the game went on. He allowed goals on small near side gaps between him and the post, and Scheifele almost snuck in another goal in that same spot. Things had changed by the late third period and overtime. Talbot made essential stops one on one, including on a shot that immediately preceded the Wild marching down the ice and scoring the game winner. The numbers do not reflect the quality of many of the stops that Talbot made in do-or-die situations. Even after this high scoring game Talbot has only allowed 8 goals on 90 shots this season.
Dumba needs to be mentioned
Alex Gologoski scored his first goal of the season, but Matt Dumba is the Wild defender that most deserves praise for his performance this game. Right at the beginning of the game Dumba lost the puck in the defensive zone then committed a cross check penalty attempting to get it back. From that point forward he was one of the most effective players on the ice. Dumba now leads the team in shots, and he has been taking a lot of good ones. Many of his lasers from the blue line became big scoring chances for the Wild. One of his first period shots led to the Wild’s first goal of the game and earned Dumba an assist. So far Dumba has shown that naming him one of the alternate captains was not a mistake.
Minnesota plays Anaheim at home on Saturday at 5pm CT and Nashville on Sunday at 5pm CT. Make sure to tune in. Or consider coming in person; I am sure the fans had an unforgettable time watching this game. With a team like this any game could become an instant classic.