3 Takeaways From the Wild’s 3-1 Win Over the Rangers

The Minnesota Wild battled the New York Rangers on Monday evening, Oct. 20 in the fourth of their five game road trip. The Wild got bit by the injury bug to start the season but they’ve added two more names since starting the road trip in Zach Bogosian earlier in the trip and Marco Rossi in their most recent loss to the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday, Oct. 18.

The Wild started the game off behind but this time they jumped right back in and tied the game. They continued to push until they took the lead in the third and eventually got the win. The Wild had one of their strongest showings of this short season and it got them back on the right track. In this article we’ll take a look at a few takeaways that got them the win starting with the Wild’s consistent effort. 

Wild Keep Pushing 

The Wild got down early but instead of sitting back on their heels, they dug in and pushed back. They played with a high energy that kept the Rangers back and eventually allowed the Wild to not only tie the game but take the win. They had a lot of strong chances that didn’t go in at first but that didn’t discourage them. 

Despite the uptick in their play they didn’t become undisciplined and only took one penalty the whole game. With how hard the Wild were pushing it would’ve been easy for them to start making risky plays and taking penalties but they didn’t. They kept to their game plan and it worked to get them the win. 

It wasn’t only the top line keeping the energy going but all four including the defense and back to Gustavsson in the net. Everyone contributed to the game and that effort paid off, hopefully they can keep that all around effort going and produce more wins. 

Brodin & Yurov Shine 

The majority of Wild fans are aware of the impact Jonas Brodin has when he’s in the lineup from his defensive abilities to his offense. He’s easily one of the most underrated defensemen in the NHL but more and more are becoming aware of his skills. He scored the first goal for the Wild and got them back in the game. Aside from the goal he also provided three blocked shots and was on the ice for just over 21 minutes. 

While Brodin had a strong night, so did the rest of his team but also rookie, Danila Yurov. He’s had a bit of a struggle to transition to the lineup but getting this goal can only help matters. He’s slowly been improving with each game he’s played and it’s shown by his confidence level in taking shots and jumping into the play. 

That type of play is what led to him scoring the goal. He saw a loose puck lying in the crease and he pounced to knock it in, which earned him the first goal of his career. It only took him five games into his NHL career so hopefully he’ll have quite a few more not only this season but for the rest of his career. 

Gustavsson Bounces Back

Filip Gustavsson had a strong game in net and while none of his previous games were “bad” they weren’t great either except for theifirst win to open the season. Since that game he’s been good but not quite his season best just yet, however this game was a step in the right direction. He seemed to be kind of in a funk, where he’d make good saves but some would get past him. 

Against the Rangers he showed more confidence and played like he did most of last season. Again, he hasn’t had a “bad” game this season yet but he’s clearly had some struggle moments. Jesper Wallstedt’s first game was an up and down struggle but he came out with the win and now he’s seen Gustavsson power through several games. 

Every team’s goaltender is going to have a moment during the season where they struggle and the key is how they get themselves out of it. Now both Wallstedt and Gustavsson have done so and it’s early in the season, so hopefully the next time the team faces struggles, their goaltenders know how to pull them out. 

The Wild’s win over the Rangers ended a three game losing streak that could’ve become a problem had they not pulled out the win when they did. A streak like that at the beginning of the season doesn’t appear too crucial but it can greatly affect team morale and thankfully the Wild got ahead of it. Now it’ll be interesting if they can keep it headed in the right direction and get another win to end the road trip.