The Minnesota Wild started their road trip against the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday night, Dec. 2, and it started on the right note, even though they missed some players. They were still without Marco Rossi, Vinnie Hinostroza, and Marcus Foligno, but also Danila Yurov. Most teams would struggle missing so many players but not the Wild.
Jesper Wallstedt was back in the net, and once again, his performance was outstanding. The game started out in favor of the Wild, and despite a lot of fight from the Oilers, the Wild held on and got the win, not only that, but a shutout as well. In this article, we’ll look at a few takeaways, starting with the lone goal.Â
Brodin’s Looking Like Himself
After a rough start to the season, not only for the Wild but for Jonas Brodin, he and the team seem to finally be finding their way. Brodin struggled to find his game early with a lot of uncharacteristic mistakes and couldn’t get back on track. Usually, he’s the best defenseman on the team and makes very few mistakes, but like everyone else, the start to this season was an odd one.Â
Against the Oilers, Brodin looked the most like himself than he has all season, and that was apart from the goal. He scored his third goal of the season, and it turned out to be the only goal of the game, which secured the win. It’s hard to believe he already has nine points this season with his struggles, but he’s been doing work behind the scenes like he’s known for; his mistakes just overshadowed the points because it was so out of the ordinary.Â
Outside of the goal, he also had four blocked shots, which made a big difference, and he had one takeaway. Hopefully, this effort continues, and Brodin keeps playing more and more like himself, and the Wild can rely on him like they expect to.Â
Wallstedt Shuts Down Oilers
By now, everyone knows Jesper Wallstedt is the player the Wild always hoped he’d become. He not only got his team a big win against the Oilers, but he also completely shut out Leon Draisaitl, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Darnell Nurse, and, of course, Connor McDavid. He already stopped Nathan McKinnon and Cale Makar of the Colorado Avalanche, but then to do it to McDavid and Draisaitl as well, he’s a star.Â
Minnesota Wild defenseman Brock Faber goes after Edmonton Oilers center Matt Savoie in front of Minnesota Wild goalie Jesper Wallstedt (Walter Tychnowicz-Imagn Images)
While there’s plenty of time for things to turn, and everyone knows it can happen, Wallstedt seems to be the real deal and the goaltender the Wild hoped he would be. Of course, he still has a long season ahead of him, but four shutouts in his past six starts is absolutely insane to think of, and they haven’t been easy teams to shut out.Â
He continued to play the way he has this past month, aggressive, smart, and he was solid on the penalty kill as well. No matter what situation he’s been put in, he’s found ways to come out on top and find another level. It’ll be interesting to see the next feat he can come up with, but hopefully, it continues to be wins.Â
Wild Looking Like Themselves AgainÂ
All November, there were glimpses of the Wild team everyone knew they could be, but there were still a lot of mistakes, both normal and uncharacteristic. However, against the Oilers, the Wild looked the most like themselves than they have all season. There were still some turnovers and such, but it seems like with this team, they can still find a way to win despite the problems that could go against them.Â
Every player on the team has found a way to improve their game and step up, which is how they’ve been able to find wins. Of course, the goaltending has led the way, but without everyone doing the work together, they wouldn’t have been as successful. They’ve found what it takes to win, and hopefully, they can continue to improve their game, and the wins will keep coming.Â
Related: Minnesota Wild’s 3 Stars for November
The really impressive part of their whole game is how they’ve been able to continue to win after not only having one of the worst Octobers, where nothing seemed to go right, but also doing so without several key players. This proves the Wild can get through anything, a very rough patch, but also they can survive injuries to their lineup.Â
The Wild got their road trip started on a good note with a big win over the Oilers, but they have three more games to go. They still have to face the Calgary Flames, Vancouver Canucks, and the Seattle Kraken before they come back home. Hopefully, this win propels them into more, and they can come home with more wins.
