A Minnesota Wild Blog that WON'T make you sick and kill you!
The revolution is over. Almost every team in the NHL has embraced the practice of putting four forwards on the power play. Statistically, it's the best bet. Forwards almost always have more shooting talent than defensemen, and getting pucks down low is a much better play than having a defenseman roc...
The Minnesota Wild came away from Game 3 with a heartbreaking loss, but the final score only tells part of the story. The game had the kind of intensity you expect in the playoffs, yet it also had a growing sense that the officials were letting too much go in one direction. Dallas managed to survive...
It's hard to remember back to October and November. Back before the playoffs, before the Quinn Hughes trade, before Jesper Wallstedt broke out as a season savior, and when Marco Rossi and Zeev Buium roamed the ice. But if you go all the way back, you'll see a team that looks kind of like they do now...
It started with a poised play. A 22-year-old rookie, in his first-ever Stanley Cup playoff series, on the ice in double overtime of a pivotal Game 3. His team, on its heels, hemmed in their own zone for the entirety of the rookie’s 54-second shift. The shift started in his own zone, on the fly....
That's Wild The major story coming out of Game 3 against the Dallas Stars was the Minnesota Wild's special teams failing them when they needed to get the save. Both the power play could've scored more goals and the penalty kill could've prevented some. [Pioneer Press] Even more coverag...
The Minnesota Wild walked out of last night’s game with a loss, but not with their season hanging by a thread. A series can shift quickly in the playoffs, and this one still has plenty of hockey left to play. The Wild have already shown they can make the Dallas Stars uncomfortable, and if they clean...
There’s a flaw in the rulebook if Matt Boldy can take a shot to the head outside of the play, and the officials don’t penalize Jamie Benn for it. On the TNT broadcast, Paul Bissonnette insisted that Benn didn’t intend to injure Boldy. You can see how he came to that conclusion. Benn appears to...
Look, it's hard to find any joy when the Minnesota Wild just suffered an overtime loss in Game 3 to hand the Dallas Stars a 2-1 series lead and now we're thinking really bad thoughts about another first-round exit. But, the play that Matt Boldy made to tie the game 2-2 in the second period on Wednes...
The Minnesota Wild entered the postseason with a team billed as ready to withstand the rigors of playoff hockey. Adding Quinn Hughes raised the team's ceiling higher than at any time in franchise history. Bringing in Michael McCarron and Nick Foligno gave them large, battle-tested veterans tailor-ma...
The Minnesota Wild’s first-round playoff matchup has quickly become a series defined by pace, pressure, and pain, and the fourth line has been at the center of that identity shift. While the Wild’s stars have carried the scoring load, their bottom unit has done something just as important: It has ma...
The Minnesota Wild and Dallas Stars are officially having a playoff series. After the Wild blasted the Stars 6-1 in the playoff opener, the Stars evened the series with a 4-2 win in Game 2. With that, the two teams will head to St. Paul tied at a game apiece. The Wild and Stars will look to gain the...
The Minnesota Wild entered this playoff series with a true shutdown duo. As talented as Matt Boldy and Joel Eriksson Ek are on the offensive side of the puck, they play a solid two-way game. They're big, strong, skilled, and win puck battles on the regular. Forget the Wild's hulking fourth line...
When the Minnesota Wild parted ways with longtime right-shot defenseman Matt Dumba, it was clear that Brock Faber was the heir apparent. The thought of Faber filling Dumba's skates was more of a changing of the guard than believing Faber would one-for-one replace Dumba. At his peak, Dumba was a goal...
That's Wild Over at The Athletic, Sean McIndoe took a look at all 16 playoff teams and ranked them based on how much they can afford to lose. From the first-timer Anaheim Ducks all the way to the Edmonton Oilers, who can't waste another season of having Connor McDavid on their team. The Wild...
The Dallas Stars responded exactly the way a contender was supposed to after getting embarrassed in Game 1, grinding out a 4-2 win over the Minnesota Wild to even the series at 1-1. Wyatt Johnston scored twice, Matt Duchene added a goal and an assist, and Jake Oettinger settled things down in net as...
Monday night's 4-2 loss against the Dallas Stars showed that the Minnesota Wild aren't just squaring off against one of the NHL's top teams. They're also facing off against their own history. We undoubtedly saw what the new-look Wild were capable of in Game 1. They ran the Stars off their own i...
Saturday afternoon was a major victory for fans of old-time hockey. The playoffs kicked off, and bodies started hitting the boards. Pucks were in deep, if not at the net. And leading the Wild in power play goals was none other than hard-nosed, no-nonsense, two-way forward Joel Eriksson Ek....
The Minnesota Wild’s 2025-26 campaign has been memorable. Whether it’s the blockbuster trade for Quinn Hughes or being a significant contributor to a United States Gold Medal win, the Wild are as relevant as they’ve ever been. However, Matt Boldy’s emergence as a true star player has been one of the...
After the Minnesota Wild's statement win over the Dallas Stars on Saturday, fans still found something to complain about. As a lifelong Minnesota fan, I understand being leery. I understand being cautious. Tonight’s Game 2 will give us a little more information about how we should be feeling and whe...
The Minnesota Wild have enough high-end talent to score in bunches. Still, to stay dangerous over the long haul, their defense has to contribute more on the scoreboard. That starts with Brock Faber and Quinn Hughes, two defensemen who already play huge minutes and shape the game at both ends....
John Hynes is not satisfied. Despite the Minnesota Wild having the most dominant performance out of any Game 1 matchup (so far) in the playoffs after wiping the floor with the Dallas Stars to the tune of 6-1, the head coach demands more. “We prepped for a few days to play Game 1 and we played G...
The end of a hockey season can be a whirlwind for organizations. Teams are signing rookies out of juniors or college and figuring out how to work them into the lineup. They’re setting playoff rosters and setting up fan appreciation weekends. Players are battling for their spots as the new guys get i...
The Minnesota Wild set the tone early and never let the Dallas Stars settle in, riding a strong start and a confident performance from backup goalie Jesper Wallstedt in a 6-1 Game 1 win. Their best players also delivered, with Matt Boldy, Kirill Kaprizov, and Joel Eriksson Ek driving the offense and...
Nine days ago, the Minnesota Wild went to American Airlines Arena with one goal: To prove they could go into the Dallas Stars' building and take it to them. And the message was almost received. The Wild out-attempted Dallas 60-41 while playing a physical, but disciplined game. They made the Stars pa...
On the surface, it appears that for most NHL teams, their starting lineups are set in stone for the playoffs. There isn't much room for players to step in and out of the lineup, and for the most part, if you’re a regular and you're somewhat healthy, you’re in. But come playoff time, located deep in...