There was very little to nit-pick about the Wild’s season debut, as they handled the Blues in both ends of the ice, and skated out of St. Louis on Thursday with a convincing 5-0 win.
But improving health on defense allowed coach John Hynes to make one notable change in the lineup for the home opener, with veteran Jonas Brodin replacing work-in-progress David Jiricek on the blue line.
Brodin, 32, missed the season opener following offseason surgery for an upper body ailment but is back in action sooner than expected. Hynes admits they didn’t anticipate Brodin would be available in October.
“I’m really excited. It’s been a good rehab over the summer, and I’ve been working hard and I feel ready to play now,” said Brodin, who has been skating with the team in practice while wearing a bright gold jersey to indicate limited contact.
After missing 32 regular season games last season, Brodin returned for all six playoff games and skated for Team Sweden in May at the World Championships.
“I felt good in the World Championships, and then something happened in one of those games there,” Brodin said. “It’s good to get it fixed so I’m 100 percent this year.”
Jiricek, the former first-round draft pick acquired by the Wild in a trade last season, had some visible struggles in St. Louis.
Minnesota survived a bad first period turnover, when Jiricek’s attempted touch pass went right to the stick of dangerous Blues forward Robert Thomas, forcing Filip Gustavsson’s point-blank save. In the second period, he took the Wild’s first penalty after getting caught for an extended stretch in the defensive zone.
The Wild coach said they will continue to work with Jiricek on his skating and on his decision-making.
“He continues to be a work in progress,” Hynes said of Jiricek. “The thing I like about it is there’s some mistakes, it’s nice when you can make a mistake and it doesn’t wind up in the back of the net. But I do see some of the things that we’re talking about with him about, that there’s progress there.”
With the Wild currently carrying eight defensemen on the roster, the coach anticipates healthy competition for the final game-night spots.
“It’s going to be competitive to get in. We feel like we’ve got eight guys that can play,” Hynes said.
Haight welcomed
Wild rookie forward Hunter Haight had his girlfriend and his parents, who live near London, Ontario, make it to St. Louis to see the 21-year-old’s solo lap around Enterprise Center prior to the season opener.
“That’s something you dream of as a kid, and have it happen in real life,” Haight said.
While all of it was a thrill, Haight admits one of the more special moments came from a foe in the faceoff circle when he matched up versus Blues veteran center Brayden Schenn in the first period.
“It was actually really classy from Schenn,” Haight recalled. “In my first faceoff against him, he just welcomed me to the league and asked who was there. It was a class act from him, and that was really cool for me.”
Without Nico Sturm, the faceoff specialist acquired by the Wild over the summer and now out of the lineup indefinitely, the Wild are looking to other sources to win draws. Haight won five of the eight faceoffs he took in the debut.
“As a centerman, you’ve got to win draws if you want to stick,” Haight said. “That’s something that’s super crucial to my game, and that will certainly help me out.”
Haight made his home debut on Saturday, centering the team’s fourth line.
Related Articles
Young leadership group vital as Wild mix newbies into key roles
Four must-try new foods at Wild games this season
Wild deliver Hartman attack to Blues in opener
St. Louis means excitement and also painful memories for Zeev Buium
Vladimir Tarasenko finds opportunity in his welcome to the Wild
Leave a Reply