ST. PAUL, Minn. — There was really no way to sugarcoat this one after losses in back-to-back home games against non-playoff teams.
“That’s two stinkers at home in a row,” defenseman Brock Faber said. “Which is obviously tough to swallow.”
The Minnesota Wild’s 4-2 loss Saturday to the last-in-the-Eastern Conference New York Rangers at Grand Casino Arena spoiled captain Jared Spurgeon’s 1,000th NHL game. The Wild outshot New York 48-18 and dominated a large stretch of the second half. But they were once again done in by another slow start, falling behind 4-1 after trying to “skill our way into the game,” as coach John Hynes put it.
“I would say it’s on me,” Hynes said. “We’’ve had some routines with our team we’ve felt has been working, but obviously the last two games, I’m going to look in the mirror. I think the team needs to look in the mirror. We’re going to switch some routines, because it’s certainly not good enough.”
What Hynes means is rethinking the optional skates, how often they practice, how often they meet and so on. The team understandably earned the staff’s trust and leeway with its play this season, but after straying from its standard, the Wild will make adjustments. There’s not much time with the Toronto Maple Leafs coming in Sunday, and then games with the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday and Thursday.
Hynes had said after Thursday’s 3-2 shootout loss to the Philadelphia Flyers that “winning is not inevitable,” and he anticipated a response Saturday.
Not so much, at least at the beginning. Faber took a tripping penalty on the first shift, which led to a Rangers power-play goal by Noah Laba.
“That can’t happen,” Faber said of his penalty. “Whether it was a bad call or not, it can’t happen. Overall it wasn’t a good start. It was too cute. It wasn’t hard enough. When we turn it on, that team can’t even touch the puck against us. It was just too little, too late.”
“Halfway through the second, we just got to what makes us good,” Spurgeon said.
By midway through the game, the Rangers had a 4-1 lead, with the next-to-last goal a breakaway by fourth-liner Jaroslav Chmelar, which came shortly after a Faber turnover. The Wild outshot the Rangers 21-8 in the second and 21-1 in the third period but couldn’t beat Igor Shesterkin, one of the best goaltenders in the world. The Wild had 6.12 expected goals in all situations, per Natural Stat Trick, with the Rangers at 2.26.
“I mean, what did we have, 50 shots almost?” Mats Zuccarello said. “I would say we should probably get more than two, but their goalie played well. They defended well when they had to. That’s just part of it.”
The Wild have gone 2-4-3 in their last nine home games against non-playoff teams, a contrast to their overall record of 18-10-6 against non-playoff teams for the season.
A frustrating game
This was a rare “off” start for Filip Gustavsson, who has gone on a tear since the Olympic break. He entered having won four of his last five starts, allowing two or fewer in each.
Against the Rangers, Gustavsson gave up four on 18 shots. To be fair, it’s not as if he was the problem on, considering the subpar effort in front of him. But there were some weird goals. The backhand shot from defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov looked like it caught Gustavsson off guard, slipping in between his pad and the post.
“Well, the second one, you know, he shoots there for a tip,” Gustavsson said. “You know, you push through right there. It hits something. It goes all the way back. And I just, I wasn’t fast enough to get to the post. And, you know, even if I don’t redirect it in with my skate there, it still goes in.”
Then there was Vincent Trocheck’s goal on a redirection, with the puck also bouncing off Ryan Hartman’s stick.
“Yeah, maybe you can cheat on it a little bit,” Gustavsson said. “But the guy is coming down with the puck, comes straight down Broadway there, and then you have to respect that shot. And he shoots it very wide there. And as you said, it hits one of our guys and goes in.”
On the fourth goal of the game, Chmelar scored off the rush after getting behind the defense following a Faber turnover. Faber tried a stretch pass toward the Rangers’ blue line, but it was picked off and quickly turned around in transition. Faber got knocked down soon after, too.
“It was the end of my shift, he wasn’t open,” Faber said. “So I was just throwing it. It was stupid. I thought I saw something and didn’t. That kind of happens at the end of your shift. I got laid out and paid for it, obviously. Not my smartest decision, obviously want it back. Could have chipped it right to (Yakov Trenin) right away. That goal was definitely my fault.”
Spurgeon’s 1K game
All the Wild players wore the commemorative shirt for Spurgeon’s 1,000th game on their way into the rink Saturday, a stick tap to their captain. It had all the logos the Wild have had since he made his NHL debut with the team in 2010.
Spurgeon said the moment hit him when he saw his kids through the boards during warmups.
“Being able to have them watch it, be here at home as well and seeing their faces,” he said. “They love coming to the games. … I love seeing the family there and obviously sharing with these great guys. We have a special group in here.”
Spurgeon will be honored by the team before Saturday’s game against the Stars and will be given his silver stick.
“Well, you know, he means a lot to us,” Gustavsson said. “Captain, he takes care of us, and just how he plays for us. He really cares about the team, and I’m very happy for him getting 1,000 games. He was a little hurt last season, and he had some struggles, but now he’s back, and I think he plays very good in front of us, and it’s one of our biggest D.”
Tempers flared in the third period after a goaltender interference call. (Nick Wosika / Imagn Images)
Observations
• The Wild were on another power play with six minutes left in the game, still down 4-2, when Joel Eriksson Ek was called for both roughing and goaltender interference. Eriksson Ek did make contact with Shesterkin, but the Rangers’ star goalie looked as if he initiated it by moving up in the crease as Eriksson Ek was darting over to chase the puck. It caused a huge melee against the boards, with all of the Rangers jumping in.
“Not anyone in the league is allowed to touch him,” Gavrikov said.
Eriksson Ek is obviously no stranger to going to the crease and being an antagonist, but teammates felt he got a raw deal on the penalty.
“I think (Shesterkin) moves out into him, sort of thing,” Spurgeon said. “Don’t really want to say too much, but I don’t think it was the right way.”
• With Bobby Brink (upper body) still out, Nico Sturm drew back into the lineup, playing on the fourth line with Michael McCarron and Yakov Trenin. Nick Foligno bumped up to the third line with Danila Yurov and Vladimir Tarasenko. Brink is still considered day to day, and Hynes didn’t know his status for Sunday’s game.
• The Wild’s power play is typically a difference-maker, entering the game fifth in the league at 25 percent. And although Matt Boldy scored a power-play goal in the second period, the unit went 1-for-7 overall. That included coming up empty on a critical four-minute double minor that stretched from the end of the second until early in the third.
“For sure we’re trying to score every time we’re out there,” Zuccarello said. “Sometimes they don’t want to go in, and they have a good goalie. They play it well, and stuff like that. So you gotta give them credit as well. But we had our chances.”
• You could tell why Trocheck was a top Wild target at the trade deadline. He was critical to a penalty kill that went 6-for-7 and won key draws, going 53 percent overall, including one defensive zone faceoff with one minute left and the Wild on a power play.