\n\tMinnesota Wild fans have been looking for good news about the Wild\u2019s special teams for years. This year, fans got it with a Wild power play unit that\u2019s top-five in the league statistically. However, the penalty kill is a different story. While it\u2019s not as bad as it has been in the past, it still ranked in the bottom third of the NHL.\n<\/p>\n
\n\tBill Guerin<\/a> tried to address the issue at the deadline. After adding Michael McCarron<\/a> and Nick Foligno<\/a>, the Wild were set to roll out fresh forwards on the penalty kill. So far, the results have been pretty good.\n<\/p>\n \n\tSince the trade deadline, the Wild\u2019s penalty kill has been the third-best in the league behind the Nashville Predators and the Washington Capitals, allowing just 5.2 goals per 60 minutes. That translates to allowing a goal every 6 opposing power plays, for a 84% penalty kill percentage. Suppose Minnesota were to maintain that over the course of the season, it would be the best penalty kill in the league. As it stands now, they rank 17th in the NHL after a slow start to the season.\n<\/p>\n \n\tBut this is a lie.\n<\/p>\n \n\tThe phrase \u201cputting lipstick on a pig\u201d comes to mind when you peel back the layers of Minnesota\u2019s penalty kill and take a look at what is really going on. The Wild are still bleeding chances at an incredibly high rate. They are allowing the 5th-most shots while having the 7th-highest expected goals against when shorthanded. On paper, that would make you think this team has a bad penalty kill. However, their saving grace is that no team has had better goaltending than the Wild over the same time period.\n<\/p>\n \n\tJesper Wallstedt<\/a> and Filip Gustavsson<\/a> have a combined .911 save percentage, and they have been bailing out the Wild penalty killers. The Wild has had strong goaltending all year from either starter, but not on the penalty kill. Minnesota\u2019s save percentage before the deadline when shorthanded was only at .864, good for tenth best in the league, but objectively bad.\n<\/p>\n \n\tNow, with new personnel, the Wild are still allowing the same amount of shots and chances, but their save percentage has increased. There\u2019s a chance the new personnel is doing a better job of limiting high-danger chances, clearing lanes, and making things easier on their goalies. That allows them to boost their save percentage and play complementary hockey.\n<\/p>\n \n\tThe new guys have also been getting plenty of penalty-kill time. Foligno and McCarron lead forwards in shorthanded time on ice since the deadline, just ahead of Matt Boldy<\/a> and Yakov Trenin<\/a>. Joel Eriksson Ek<\/a> missed a few games, so his numbers don\u2019t accurately reflect his impact. He could be the leader on the penalty kill if he were healthy. Either way, both Foligno and McCarron have been putting in the time.\n<\/p>\n \n\tThe Wild acquired both of them for their impacts on the penalty kill. It seems to have paid off, even if the numbers suggest that the Wild\u2019s goaltending has been doing the heavy lifting with a man down.\n<\/p>\n