A sign of the Minnesota Wild’s early-season struggles were laid bare Monday when the NHL released its three stars awards for the week that ended on Sunday. Three players who played, and beat, Minnesota last week — Utah forward Logan Cooley, San Jose forward Macklin Celebrini and New Jersey forward Jack Hughes — were recognized for their achievements.
In fairness, the Wild kept Hughes off the score sheet last week in their 4-1 loss in Newark, but Grand Casino Arena public address man Adam Abrams called Cooley and Celebrini’s names on more than one occasion over the weekend, and not for penalties, as the Wild fell to 1-4-2 in their last seven games.
The Wild have played four home games, and have four more upcoming on their current homestand, starting Tuesday night versus Winnipeg. They are 1-2-1 on home ice this season, but perhaps more concerning is that they have given up a total of 22 goals in those for games — an average of 5.5 goals against per game in St. Paul.
In the building where defensive mastermind Jacques Lemaire once patrolled the space behind the home bench, that number is notably too high,
As has seemingly been the story for way too long now, injuries are a factor, as veteran Zach Bogosian has now missed five games with a lower body injury, which has led to still youthful David Jiricek being forced into more key on-ice time. During Sunday’s whacky 6-5 overtime loss to the Sharks, a San Jose power play goal happened when Jake Middleton was in the penalty box and in his stead, Jiricek missed a defensive assignment – a mistake that ended up on the other side of the goal line.
The Wild have preached patience with Jiricek, acquired 11 months ago in a trade with Columbus. He was the sixth overall pick by the Blue Jackets in the 2022 NHL Draft, and has all of the physical tools to be a standout blueliner at this level. But Wild coach John Hynes noted in training camp that Jiricek’s decision making in the heat of the battle in the defensive zone is sometimes lacking. The San Jose power play goal was another example of a misplay by a player who as of this week has just 65 NHL games to his credit, and is still learning.
“I would say more it’s experience of being in that situation,” Hynes said on Sunday. “It’s understanding the details of it and how those things matter. So, I think it’s a work in progress.”
Two other young defensemen who have been every-night members of the Wild lineup – rookie Zeev Buium and third-year player Brock Faber – have had moments of struggle and flashes of brilliance.
Buium, who got his first taste of NHL hockey in the playoffs last season, scored his second career goal versus San Jose and has had moments where the puck-moving flash that made him one of college hockey’s more dynamic players a year ago at Denver is clearly evident. He also said that one of the biggest lessons at this level of the game has come on the defensive side, where things that you could get away with in college are almost certain to end up in your NHL team’s net.
Faber recorded three assists versus the Sharks, tying his career high, and had three golden opportunities to win the game in overtime, when the Wild controlled possession for more than three minutes. He admitted after the game that even 10 games into an 82-game campaign a 3-5-2 record is notably less than what they and the fanbase expects, and defensive miscues have been part of the problem.
“It’s like everyone’s gripping the stick a little differently. We got a group of guys that has the right intentions. Every single guy on this team wants to win. Every single guy on this team is sacrificing, doing whatever they can to win, and it’s just not working out,” Faber said. “And sometimes when you’re playing that desperate, I don’t want to make a mistake. Sometimes that causes you to make mistakes.”
While Hynes has talked about his team’s identity of “playing north” and putting the other team’s defenders under duress, the current funk has been fueled at least in part by the Wild’s own defensive miscues. Cleaner play in that end of the rink, and fewer NHL standouts getting recognized for their work versus Minnesota, look like two potential solutions for righting the ship.
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