In the midst of the Wild’s five-game losing streak to end October, the statistic that stood out most negatively was their penalty kill. They ended the season’s first month with a 3-6-3 record and were in a battle with the Ottawa Senators for the NHL’s worst numbers with a man in the penalty box.
One factor in Minnesota’s slump-busting win versus Vancouver to start November was a 3-for-3 night when the Canucks were on the power play.
Yes, it was just one game. But in that success, the Wild’s head coach saw some of the vital little things that can make the razor thin difference between winning and losing.
“One, we won some faceoffs. So we got the puck out of our end,” John Hynes said in praise of his penalty killers. “We were good on the forecheck, of not allowing easy sets, which allowed us to get into pressure and be able to clear pucks. So we didn’t have to spend the whole time in the D zone.”
In expressing some frustration with his team’s effort in the final game of October, a 4-1 loss to Pittsburgh, Hynes had spoken of the game’s fundamentals — playing with pace, competing for pucks, digging in for faceoffs — and the willingness to do those things. In a few examples of his team sacrificing their bodies to block pucks on the penalty kill, he saw clear evidence of that necessary refocusing on the game’s basics to beat the Canucks.
“We had two huge blocks. (Jonas) Brodin had a block right at the net-front, and (Marco) Rossi had a huge block, which is what you need on the kill,” Hynes said. “They’ve got five of the top players on the ice, so there’s usually going to be some kind of a scoring chance. If there’s a breakdown and you have shot-blocking and that type of commitment on top of getting a save, usually that’s a good recipe.”
The Wild entered Tuesday night’s game against Nashville still 31st out of 32 in the NHL on the penalty kill, ahead of Ottawa, with a 64.3 percent success rate.
Fourth line chemistry
A glance at the game-by-game line charts shows the trio of Tyler Pitlick, Ben Jones and Yakov Trenin filling the fourth line role in the Wild’s two most recent wins: Oct. 20 versus the Rangers in New York, and Nov. 1 versus the Canucks in St. Paul.
While Hynes still wants to get rookie Danila Yurov in the mix from time to time, the Pitlick-Jones-Trenin trio’s propensity to win faceoffs and play quality minutes had them back on the line chart together versus the Predators.
“They’ve been very effective in the last two wins,” Hynes said. “They know what they need to do. Pitlick had two or three blocks, some big hits. Trenny had some big hits. They were on the forecheck. Jonesy was in there, he was good in the faceoff circle. I think they talk on the bench, so they bring what you need from that kind of ‘energy’ line.”
Pitlick and Jones had spent a little time as linemates in Iowa prior to their call-up to the Wild, and said there was a natural comfort when they were reunited at the NHL level.
“I feel like we all kind of understand the assignment, creating energy and getting pucks in deep, being physical, being responsible defensively,” said Pitlick, who entered the Nashville game still looking for his first point in his eighth game with the Wild. “It’s just gonna be simple with us. Right up, get it in, forecheck, get it back to the D and get to the net.”
Jones, who got his fifth game for the Wild on Tuesday, has perhaps found his niche as a faceoff specialist on a team for which starting with possession has been a struggle.
“I think we’re still players that play pretty similarly, and understand how important it is to play that way,” Jones said. “We know what we are and play within that. … We’re guys that are always willing to chat and see what the other guy is seeing.”
Jones entered the Nashville game having won a team-best 69.6 percent of his faceoffs this season.
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