The Minnesota Wild finished their three-game homestand on Tuesday, November 5 by hosting the Los Angeles Kings. The Wild’s roster remained the same, except for defenseman Jon Merrill who joined the lineup and Declan Chisholm who was left out. In the net, Filip Gustavsson was looking for his third consecutive victory.

The game started back and forth, with the Wild taking the lead in the second half. Shortly after, Kirill Kaprizov was hit in the face with a puck and stayed for the remainder of the period. That allowed the Kings to fight back with two unanswered goals and take a 2-1 lead into the third. The Wild did not find a way to come back strong in the third and fell 5-1.

While this was a disappointing loss, it’s also important to remember that this was only the Wild’s second regulation loss in 12 games. This remains a very respectable record at the start of the season. In this article, we’ll look at why the Wild struggled against the Kings and a positive that they can hopefully build on in the future. We’ll start with their lack of spark.

Wild has no spark

Early in the season, the Wild took to the ice in almost every game and had a spark behind their play. They outran everyone to the puck and had unmatched energy that other teams had to struggle against. hard to compete. However, against the Kings, that energy didn’t seem to be there. They surged in the first half, but when they failed to score, their spark seemed to die.

When they lost Kaprizov for a while in the second half, their energy level dropped further. It is obvious that much of their momentum comes when he’s on the iceand they got a little one when he returned for the third period. However, it was too little, too late, as all their attempts at goal were thwarted.

The Wild must find a way to get that spark back and take the lead in the first game, as they have managed to do for most of the season. When they were able to do these things, they were able to achieve victory.

Wild special teams can’t convert

The Wild started strong on special teams, with a few exceptions here and there like occasional bad power plays or penalty kills. However, in the last two games, they have conceded hits on the power play and penalty kill. They have allowed shorthanded goals in back to back games, and in the last game it didn’t affect them too much, but this game it cost them the loss because it was the final game. winner.

The Wild had plenty of chances to get back into the game on the power play, but once again couldn’t find a way to do so. They had four chances, and although they had a few strong shots, nothing went in, and they went 0/4, while the Kings went 1/1.

While the Wild struggled on both the power play and penalty kill, there was one small bright spot: the Wild only went to the penalty box once, with the exception of the minors coincidentally for brutality. They can build on that and should as they move forward from this loss.

Wild defense gets involved

This season, the Wild have had a lot more involvement from their defense when it comes to playing offensively. Every member of their defense, even Chisholm, who played against the Kings, had at least one point this season. Zach Bogosian scored the first goal of the game for the Wild, which was also his first goal; In addition, he had already collected two assists this season.

Part of this offensive success is due to their style of play. The Wild’s defense was much further behind when it came to the offensive zone; they rarely went further than the blue line and they almost never carried the puck beyond the top of the circles. This season, however, they changed everything. Jake Middleton and Brock Faber, in particular, carry the puck a lot more and a lot further, and they’re willing to take more shots a little closer than the blue line.

Middleton alone had three shots on goal, and Faber was right behind with two. Even Jared Spurgeon was embark on this action with three of his own. Additionally, Jonas Brodin, who rarely strays from his position on the blue line, got into the action deep in the offensive zone, and it almost paid off. They have also worked on shooting from the faceoff if they win rather than trying to pass.

Related: Insider Predicts Wild’s Kirill Kaprizov to Receive Monster Contract Extension

Even Jon Merrill, who often struggled last season, did better. He’s more aggressive on plays, and while he still makes occasional mistakes, they’re becoming less frequent. He doesn’t play every night since he rotates with Chisholm, but his efforts have been remarkable this season.

Wild head on the road

The Wild’s home trip was short and sweet as they finished with a 2-1-0 record and they will now hit the road for a quick back-to-back against the San Jose Sharks, who just I picked up Macklin Celebrinithen the Anaheim Ducks. They will face the Sharks on Thursday, November 7, then the Ducks on Friday, November 8. Hopefully the Wild can pull through and come back from their road trip with two more wins.