3 Takeaways From the Wild’s 2-1 Loss to the Dallas Stars

The Minnesota Wild finished up their preseason schedule when they hosted the Dallas Stars on Friday evening, Sept. 25. Barring any changes, the Wild’s roster was likely who everyone will see on opening night, with one exception being the backup goalie in Riley Mercer.  

Jesper Wallstedt was on his second consecutive start in net while his regular-season backup Calvin Pickard had the evening off. Filip Gustavsson was still out due to surgery recovery and is expected to be out for the start of the season. The game started out in favor of the Stars, who scored just after the midway point of the first period, which gave them an early lead.

The Wild answered back in the second period and tied the game 1-1, only for the Stars to take the lead back at the end of the period. The Wild had some chances and quite a few fights to end the game, but that’s how it ended with the Stars taking the win 2-1. In this article, we’ll take a look at a few takeaways, starting with the second line. 

Wild’s Second Line Shines

The Wild’s second line had some strong moments last season, and it looks to do the same this season despite having some personnel changes. Of course, Matt Boldy and Joel Eriksson Ek are still paired together, as they’ve had great chemistry since the first time they skated together, and it wouldn’t make sense to split them up. 

The third player on that line was the one who changed, as Marcus Johansson decided to go back to his home country of Sweden to play, which left a void on that line. The Wild brought in Blake Coleman to hopefully help fill that hole, and so far he’s done quite well. He has a strong connection with both Boldy and Eriksson Ek already, and it should only get better as time goes on. 

That chemistry was on full display against the Stars as Eriksson Ek scored and both Coleman and Boldy got the assists on the play. They were finding each other all over the ice, and although they didn’t find a way to come out on top, they were still impactful from start to finish. 

Wild’s New Members Filling Voids

Coleman wasn’t the only new member of the Wild who had a strong showing; both Maxim Shabanov and Olli Määttä were noticeable as well. Both Määttä and Coleman contributed on the penalty kill as expected, but they made some bigger plays to keep the puck out of their own net. 

Coleman and Määttä were great with their stickwork especially their poke checks in the defensive zone that broke up several plays throughout the night. Shabanov also showed a willingness to shoot first and pass second, which is something the Wild need more of from everyone on their team. They sometimes get in trouble looking to make one too many passes when they could shoot, and hopefully Shabanov will continue to look for the shot unless he has to pass because his lane is blocked or someone else has a better angle.

“…yeah he’s got some good instincts on the power play, I think that’s what you like, I thought tonight when we did get set up, when we were going…guys had a shot mentality, recovered pucks well and Shabanov individually made some good reads and some good plays with the puck, so I think that part of the game is a strength of his,” said head coach John Hynes to the media in his postgame press conference when asked about Shabanov’s game. 

Wild Have Chaos to End Game

Most of the game moved along at a normal pace; there were goals and penalties, all typical of a preseason game. However, when the final few minutes of the third period started to wind down, things came unglued, and there were a number of fights that broke out. These weren’t the normal fights where one player challenges another, but instead it was the whole line for both teams out there at a time who were involved in the fights. 

Even Matt Boldy and Kirill Kaprizov, two players that are known for scoring goals, not throwing punches, were involved, something they don’t want to happen often, especially in the preseason. It was no surprise, following that instance, that the Nick Foligno, Michael McCarron, Marcus Foligno line came out, and that shift ended in a fight as well. It was chaos in the final few minutes, with seven fighting majors handed out over that time span, but the Wild still came out on the losing side. 

“Yeah, I mean Bolds (Boldy) is fighting; I don’t think you want that, so just our chance is to step up, and that’s the game that we have to play: physical, and we’re going to get tested a lot this year because of our stars, and we want to battle back,” said Marcus Foligno to the media after the game when asked about Boldy and Kaprizov being involved in the fights at the end. 

The Wild will now have a few practice days before they start the regular season on the road against the Nashville Predators on Thursday, Oct. 1, and will be back at home that Saturday, Oct. 3, to host the Boston Bruins. The team is coming together, and hopefully they’ll be able to start off on the right foot with a win against the Predators.