More than just about any major sport, rust seems to be a factor in hockey. If a player goes two days without hitting the ice, the results can be rough; for a time anyway.
So, it’s not at all surprising, after missing the season’s first two months, that Wild center Nico Sturm would take some time to get up to speed.
Acquired in the free-agent market over the summer, Sturm suffered a back injury on Day 1 of Minnesota’s training camp, and after a surgery to repair the damage, did not see game action until a Nov. 23 game in Winnipeg. Sturm himself admitted that it was taking him some time to get his groove back.
But after his faceoff win in the first period Tuesday in Edmonton set up the game’s only goal in a 1-0 Wild victory, coach John Hynes admitted that Minnesota is getting exactly what it bought when the penalty-killing German came back for his second career stint in red and green.
“He’s been good. It’s really good to have him back in,” Hynes said, speaking to reporters following the team’s Thursday morning skate in Calgary. “He’s good on faceoffs, he’s such a responsible, strong, two-way player. Big, strong kid, highly competitive, adds to our penalty kill, so it’s nice to see.”
Sturm won 60% of his faceoffs versus the Oilers, which is around his career average, and makes him an important tool for Hynes to have on penalty kills and in the defensive zone, when starting with possession of the puck is so vital.
Versus the Oilers, Sturm won the faceoff and directed the puck back to Jonas Brodin at the blue line, who zipped a shot past the Edmonton goalie for the eventual game-winner.
“We had the shot called before, but obviously you don’t always get it on a tee for the D-man like that,” said Sturm, who has made his off-season home in the Twin Cities since he started his NHL career with the Wild in 2019. He wore jersey No. 7 in his first go-round in Minnesota. But with defenseman Brock Faber wearing that digit now, Sturm has switched to No. 78, which he wore in previous stints with the Avalanche and Sharks. Sturm wore No. 8 last season in Florida, where he won a Stanley Cup with the Panthers.
Whether or not it leads immediately to a goal, faceoff wins are Sturm’s specialty, which is becoming more evident as he shakes off any remaining rust.
“I think even coming back, he seems to be getting better and better,” Hynes said. “We’re starting to see more of his speed and he’s getting better in the faceoff circle, so he’s been a good addition for us.”
Rossi not yet ready
While injured center Marco Rossi did not join the team’s western Canada road trip from the start, with him skating more often as he recovers from a lower-body injury, there was hope that Rossi might meet the Wild in Vancouver or Seattle later in the trip. On Thursday, Hynes said that won’t happen.
“Rossi will not be on the trip. He’s skating on his own and he’s going to take a little bit more time, actually, than we originally thought,” Hynes said. “Originally, we thought maybe it would be a little bit quicker, like on this trip, but it’s not going to be on this trip. And then we’ll see where he’s at when we get back.”
Rossi, who had been an iron man the previous two seasons, last played on Nov. 11 in an overtime loss at home versus San Jose.
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