SALT LAKE CITY – With two of their top forwards injured, and another offensive mainstay serving a suspension, there has been much talk among the healthy Minnesota Wild players about stepping up, making the most of new opportunities and having a “next man up” attitude.
But on some nights, that rhetoric doesn’t match the reality.
Making their second-ever visit to the Delta Center in Utah, the Wild fell behind early and couldn’t find enough consistent offense to mount a comeback, falling 6-1 to the Utah Hockey Club on Thursday night.
Freddie Gaudreau scored his second goal in the past four games, and Marc-Andre Fleury dealt as best he could under heavy traffic in front of him, finishing with 25 saves. The Wild have now lost two in a row, and after winning in their first trip to Utah in December, have now lost their last three to Utah.
The Wild’s penalty killers — an Achilles’ heel for the team all season — were overwhelmed early, as Utah scored on its first power play of the game, and went up 2-0 on a 5-on-3 advantage late in the first.
Goalie Karel Vejmelka had 16 saves for Utah, which is creeping back into the Western Conference playoff picture, having won four of its past five games.
Fleury, playing in his 21st game of the season, got a nice ovation from the fans at the Delta Center before the game, then was put to work right away as Utah dominated the offensive zone and took a lead less than four minutes in on a power-play goal by Barrett Hayton.
On the next shift, the Wild found their defensive corps reduced as Jake Middleton threw hands with Utah’s Jack McBain at center ice, and both men got a five-minute break.
The Wild had a pair of first-period power plays and tested the Utah goalie but got nothing on the scoreboard. Then the final minute of the first proved disastrous for Minnesota.
First Jonas Brodin went to the box for hooking. Then on the ensuing faceoff, Marcus Foligno caught Utah winger Nick Schmaltz with a high stick to the face, causing a bloody mess on the ice and sending Foligno to the penalty box for four minutes. The home club needed 16 seconds of 5-on-3 power play to double its lead.
Minnesota finally found an answer late in the second when Matt Boldy set up Gaudreau for a pretty solo rush to the net, which ended with Gaudreau making a deft move on the Utah goalie and netting his 12th goal of the season.
The celebration was short-lived, as Sean Durzi deflected a long-range shot past Fleury less than two minutes later, for a 3-1 Utah lead after 40 minutes. Then Schmaltz got his revenge for the first-period high stick, popping a third-period shot past Fleury.
When Clayton Keller popped a backhander over Fleury a few minutes later, the rout was on. Former Gophers star Logan Cooley added a sixth Utah goal with 4:59 to play, while Minnesota managed just three shots on goal in the third.
The Wild’s two-game visit to the Mountain Time Zone concludes on Friday when they visit the Colorado Avalanche for the second time this season. Puck drop is at 8 p.m. CT.
Related Articles
Far removed from his Blaine days, Nick Bjugstad can still feel tourney time in his gut
Going to the net paying off for Wild newcomer Vinnie Hinostroza
Early lead slips away as Wild’s home malaise continues
Kirill Kaprizov isn’t close, and Joel Eriksson Ek is on injured reserve
Wild forward Matt Boldy impresses on the international stage
Leave a Reply