Nov 7, 2024; San Jose, California, USA; Minnesota Wild left wing Matt Boldy (12) celebrates with middle Joel Eriksson Ek (14) in the course of the third interval in opposition to the San Jose Sharks at SAP Heart at San Jose. Necessary Credit score: Stan Szeto-Imagn Photos One of many NHL’s high street groups seems to proceed its success away from dwelling when the Minnesota Wild go to the Anaheim Geese on Friday.
The Wild are 6-1-1 in away video games this season, with a league-best 13 street factors.
After taking a 5-1 dwelling loss to the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday, the Wild acquired again within the win column firstly of a three-game street journey on Thursday, choosing up a 5-2 victory over the San Jose Sharks.
“I believe if you wish to be a aggressive workforce, you’ll be able to’t simply be a very good dwelling workforce,” Wild coach John Hynes mentioned. “You have to have that street warrior mentality, and I believe the workforce embraces that. (When) coming into one other workforce’s constructing, everybody’s acquired to be pulling the rope in the proper course.”
Kirill Kaprizov had three assists in opposition to San Jose, as he broke his mini-slump of two video games and not using a level. The star ahead ranks second within the NHL with 24 factors, one behind the whole of the Colorado Avalanche’s Nathan MacKinnon. Kaprizov has logged 17 factors (4 objectives, 13 assists) in away video games.
Past their good type on the street, the Wild even have the momentum of their longstanding dominance over the Geese. Minnesota is 15-1-0 in its previous 16 matchups with Anaheim relationship again to January 2021.
That creates a serious problem for a Geese workforce sitting close to the underside of the NHL standings. Anaheim is 0-2-1 in its previous three video games, together with losses to the Chicago Blackhawks and Vancouver Canucks within the first two contests of a six-game homestand.
Olen Zellweger scored lower than six minutes into the Geese’ 5-1 loss to Vancouver on Tuesday, however the early lead evaporated when the Canucks scored 5 unanswered objectives. Anaheim was outshot 37-22, persevering with the workforce’s difficulties in each scoring and easily getting pucks on the web.
“It looks like the tougher you attempt, the tougher issues turn into,” Geese ahead Alex Killorn informed the Orange County Register. “We took good steps within the Chicago recreation. We performed very well and we created loads of pictures. It appeared like (Tuesday), we did not have a ton of power. … It appeared like we had a very good, first rate begin after which we by no means discovered it, ever once more.”
The Geese’ 25 objectives are the fewest within the NHL, and the membership has additionally struggled on each the power-play (6-for-40, 15 p.c) and on the penalty kill (25-for-34, 73.5 p.c).
Minnesota’s penalty-kill unit has struggled to an excellent better extent, as its 66.7 p.c success price ranks thirty first out of 32 groups. The Wild are hopeful the Thursday recreation was a turning level, as they went 3-for-3 on kills in opposition to San Jose. It was simply the fifth time in 13 video games that Minnesota did not permit a power-play tally.
Since Marc-Andre Fleury confronted the Sharks, Filip Gustavsson possible will get the nod Friday within the second half of the Wild’s back-to-back set. Gustavsson has a powerful .917 save share and a 2.33 goals-against common in 9 begins this season.
Goaltender Lukas Dostal has been a brilliant spot for Anaheim, although 9 of his 25 objectives allowed got here in his previous two outings. Dostal has began 10 of Anaheim’s 12 video games, so backup James Reimer may face Minnesota if the Geese really feel Dostal wants some relaxation.
–Subject Stage Media