WHO ARE THE MINNESOTA WILD?
By: Braedyn Wozniak, RP Show Intern
The Minnesota Wild grounded the Winnipeg Jets Wednesday night, pumping them to a tune of a 6-1 victory.
But it was just one of few bright spots for Wild team that’s been rather tame to start the season.
“Was that the real Minnesota Wild we saw last night in that 6-1 drubbing of the Winnipeg Jets,” said Rod Pedersen, directing the question to Minnesota Wild reporter Jessi Pierce on the Rod Pedersen Show Thursday.
“My goodness, I hope so,” said Pierce. “All last week I looked at the win against Carolina last weekend, and that was a very close overtime game.”
The Wild won a hard fought 2-1 game against the Hurricanes Saturday, which snapped a three-game losing skid. Their record after beating the Jets sits at 9-8-2.
“I was thinking maybe that’s the Minnesota Wild, maybe they’re not this potent offensive team you saw last year, maybe they are going to be this gritty defensive squad,” said Pierce. “Then they show up and pot six goals against a very good Winnipeg Jets team.”
The wild’s offence has been spotty this year. There have been stretches where the team fills it up with ease, but random stretches where the team can’t find the back of the net.
The defence has been much of the same. The Wild allowed 20 goals in their first three games of the season. The offence scored 12 in that span, a good offensive output for three losses.
Then, in back-to-back games later in the season against the Seattle Kraken and L.A. Kings, the Wild failed to get on the scoreboard, getting shutout in both. The defence only allowed five goals in those games.
Pierce is hoping the beat-down on the Winnipeg Jets can help Minnesota find their identity.
“It was the best game I’ve seen Minnesota play all year. I hope that’s more (who they they are) because it’s sexy. It’s exciting. You want to see some goals, but I don’t know if that’s the identity the Minnesota Wild will continue to have going forward,” said Pierce.
Whomever they are, they need to find out fast. As brought up on the Rod Pedersen Show, while the numbers vary, between 75-90 per cent of teams in playoff spots at American Thanksgiving remain in playoff spots.
The Wild currently sit in a tie for the last Wild Card spot in the West.
