3 Takeaways From the Wild’s 2-1 Win Over the Blue Jackets

The Minnesota Wild played host to the Columbus Blue Jackets on their Hockey Fights Cancer night, Sunday evening, Oct. 18; it was also their final home game before another road trip. Their lineup remained the same as their previous game, with the exception that Jared Spurgeon was moved to injured reserve. While the injuries have been a top concern, they’ve found a way to play through with success. 

Jesper Wallstedt was between the pipes for the Wild, and things started out in their favor late in the first. However, the Blue Jackets responded almost immediately, and they went into the second period tied 1-1. The Wild reclaimed the lead early in the second thanks to the power play, and they held that lead through the rest of the period. Despite some close calls through the third, the Wild held on and took the win 2-1. In this article, we’ll take a look at a few takeaways, starting with the power play. 

Wild’s Power Play Execution Continues

With the exception of their loss to the Winnipeg Jets early last week, the Wild have scored a power play goal in every game they’ve played this season. That’s eight out of nine games they’ve had a power play goal, and it’s been a big factor in their overall play. Against the Blue Jackets, it gave them the lead and helped swing the momentum their way. 

They did have success early on the man advantage last season, but it only lasted four games before it started to be an up-and-down rollercoaster where they would have spurts of strong play only for it to disappear just as fast. It’s still very early on in the season, but it seems like the Wild have found a way to make it work. They’re confident and fast on the power play, and they take shots quicker rather than making too many passes like they used to in the past. Hopefully they’ll be able to keep that confidence and continue to find success.

Wild’s Russian Line Found Spark

The line of Yakov Trenin, Danila Yurov, and Maxim Shabanov has been finding success as of late, and that continued against the Blue Jackets. Their line had a highlight-reel goal against the St. Louis Blues earlier in the week, and they found a way to keep it going. This time it was Trenin who set the goal up and Yurov who finished it. 

Yurov is a player who isn’t afraid to shoot the puck; he had four shots on goal, just one shy of their scoring leader, Kirill Kaprizov, who had five. He’s shown a lot more confidence in his game so far this season, and that is carrying over to his line as well. Both Trenin and Shabanov have also been confident with their game and have been finding each other on the ice very well for a relatively new line. 

“Yep, they have good chemistry and you know like we said earlier I think that last year when Vladdy (Tarasenko) was here, I mean he and Shabby (Shabanov) are different players but of similar…in a sense that they are smart players, they play well without the puck, they got skill, they have good vision, they work hard and that combination with Trenny (Trenin) and Yurov was good as well so it’s nice to see them playing really solid,” said head coach John Hynes to the media in his postgame press conference when asked about the third line. 

Wild’s Kaprizov Hero Again

It’s no surprise when Kaprizov’s name ends up on the Wild scoresheet, but he’s been on fire so far this season, and he’s found success both at even strength and on the power play. He’s their franchise player, and he’s doing exactly what his team needs. He’s played on different line combinations this season, and he’s still found success regardless of who he shares the ice with. 

He scored his 10th goal of the season in their game against the Blue Jackets, and according to NHLstats, he’s the first player in the NHL to reach the double-digit mark in goals this season, and it’s also the first time a Wild player has done so in fewer than 12 games, with his coming in the ninth game of the season. He’s also helped spark success in his linemates like Joel Eriksson Ek and Matt Boldy, who got their scoring going when they were paired with Kaprizov. He’s the type of player who doesn’t only elevate his own game but those around him as well. 

“I don’t know, I feel like first couple of games it was a little bit tough, don’t feel like power right away, and then after two, three, four games feel better a little bit now. I don’t know if it’s better shorter camp or not better, every player {is} different but yeah just feel better now…” said Kaprizov to the media in his postgame interview when asked about the stars in the NHL having good starts.  

The Wild will now head on the road for the next nine or so days as they head northwest. They’ll face the Edmonton Oilers, Calgary Flames, Seattle Kraken, Vancouver Canucks, and Utah Mammoth before they come back home. It’ll be interesting to see if they can keep this good play going as they hit the road, and hopefully they’ll return with some strong wins.