Wild's Collegiate Game Leads Lightning To Victory – Hockey Writers – Minnesota Wild

The Minnesota Wild faced their first test of their comeback when they took on the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday evening, October 24. They were still without Ryan Hartman and Jared Spurgeon. The game started the same way as the first six games of the season, with the Wild picking up the first goal. It was a top line to start things off, and they looked to be on their way to controlling the game again.

However, Nyazilwezulu came back in the second half and scored two unanswered goals to put Hlanga in the tail for the first time all season. They struggled for a while, trying to turn things in their favor, but after a few minutes of chaotic play, the Wild calmed down and played their game again. It worked, as they scored late in the period to tie things up.

The third opened with the Wild getting a power play and scoring again on the power play. This time, they were able to protect the lead and extend it with an empty net goal by Kirill Kaprizov, the second of the night, to secure a 4-2 victory for the team. In this article, we'll look at the keys to the Wild winning their fourth straight game, starting with their composure.

Wild Don't panic

One of the Wild's biggest struggles over the past few seasons has been their composure. If they conceded a goal or something went against them, they would struggle to keep their heads and get frustrated, like most teams do. However, it will change the way they play, often against them. This season, it looks like the team has a new mindset thanks to head coach John Hynes, and they are not letting anything get in their way.

They were used to leading in all seven games, but first they had to find a way to come from behind, and they did. They came out short after the Lightning scored their go-ahead goal, but the Wild fought back and found their game, leading them to another win.

Regardless of the situation, the Wild put their heads down, focused on their game, and just played. As the FanDual Sports Network broadcast team of Anthony Lapanta and Ryan Carter have pointed out many times this season and against the Lightning, the Wild seem to have a business-like attitude. They come to the game with a mindset and go about their business without distraction. They will have to keep this mindset throughout the season if they want to keep winning games.

Wild Power Play & Faceoff Success

Everyone who has watched the Wild this season has seen the success of their power play. They have scored a dominant goal in all but one game this season, and they continued this against Nyazi. Matt Boldy continued his power play success, this time with a goal after collecting an assist in their win over the Florida Panthers earlier in the week.

They scored on 31.8% of their power plays, which ranked them fifth in the league. This is double what they did last season at this time. With seven games played last season, their power play was just 16 percent, and they were 3-3-1. It really shows that success on the power play is important and will help win games.

The same can be said for efficiency in the faceoff circle, which is another area where the Wild excels. Their improvement on the dot against the faceoff hasn't been as great as their power play, but it's still noticeable. They went from 45.4% of faceoffs won at this time last season to 50.7% this season.

Again, it might not seem like much, but it made a difference, and it's part of the reason the Wild didn't score more points. They win the necessary faceoffs and keep the puck away from the opponent. Yes, there is still room for improvement, but it is, and they are headed in the right direction.

Wild's Fleury Rises

Filip Gustavsson quickly established himself as the Wild's starting goaltender this season, but Marc-André Fleury has shown he's not ready to shut it down just yet. He had a rough start to the season in the Wild's second game, losing to the Seattle Kraken. Against the Rays, he stood tall in almost every save, and while he conceded two goals, he still helped them win.

Related: Wild Keys Extend Their Winning Paths

Even if he could have stopped both of those goals, there was a defensive breakdown in front of him that allowed the first game to happen. Fleury made 23 saves and had a .920 save percentage that should help his first-game stats bounce back. After their win over the Lightning, Fleury looked like himself, and hopefully he'll be able to help Gustavsson become a solid goaltender for the Wild until the end of the season.

Wild Head to Philly

The Wild will remain on the road for two more games, the first against the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday, October 26, at noon. The Flyers are currently struggling with just one win so far this season but the Wild will have to take them as seriously as any other team. They will have to keep doing what they have been doing, focus on their performance and hopefully come away with another win.