November 15th 2024.
The final score of the game between the Minnesota Wild and the Montreal Canadiens was 3-0, with the Wild taking the victory. Looking at the stat sheet, it shows that the Wild had to play shorthanded for a total of six minutes due to three penalties, but they managed to kill all of them. In reality, the Wild's win over the Canadiens was a result of more than just their strong penalty kill. Throughout the game, they had to play with reduced manpower for a total of 45 minutes due to some key players getting injured. This included two of their top forwards, Mats Zuccarello and Joel Ericksson Ek, who both left the game in the first period with lower-body injuries. Even their captain, who suffered an injury in the third period, had to leave the game for a brief time.
With these injuries, the Wild's coach, John Hynes, had to make some adjustments to the lineup and make do with only 10 remaining forwards. This was not an easy task, as Hynes mentioned after the game. He credited the team's ability to find combinations that worked well together and keep the momentum going despite the challenges they faced.
The Wild's goals in the game came from Matt Boldy and Marco Rossi, with Filip Gustavsson making 19 saves for his first shutout of the season. Kirill Kaprizov also added an empty-net goal in the final seconds. From his vantage point on the rink, Gustavsson could see how the team's familiarity with each other helped them to overcome the adversity they faced.
The Wild showed little signs of rust, despite not playing a game since Sunday and having two days off this week. They made several attempts to score, but were unable to fool Montreal's goalie, Sam Montembeault, in the first period. Montreal only managed to record two shots on goal in the entire period, but the Wild still faced some challenges with two players leaving the game early on.
One of these players was Mats Zuccarello, who was hit by a rising wrist shot from his own teammate, Brock Faber, and had to be helped off the ice. A few minutes later, Joel Ericksson Ek also left the game with an injury, prompting some line changes by the Wild's coaching staff. Despite the setbacks, the team managed to find a way to score when Matt Boldy capitalized on a cross-crease pass from Marcus Johansson.
Throughout the game, the Wild had to deal with more injuries, including defenseman Jared Spurgeon who took a stick to the face but was able to return to the game and even assisted on Marco Rossi's power play goal. Hynes mentioned after the game that they will have a better idea of the status of the injured players on Friday.
Despite the challenges faced by the Wild, they still managed to come out on top against the Canadiens, who have now lost seven of their last eight games. Montreal's coach, Martin St. Louis, praised his team's attitude and defensive efforts, despite the disappointing results. Looking ahead, the Wild will face the Dallas Stars on Saturday evening.
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