3 Takeaways From Wild’s 5-2 Loss to Avalanche in Game 4 – Hockey Writers – Minnesota Wild

The Minnesota Wild host the Colorado Avalanche for Game 4 of their second series on Monday evening, May 11. The Wild are looking to even the series at 2-2 after a big win in Game 3 on Saturday night, May 9. The Wild had the same lineup from Game 3, meaning Joel Eriksson Ek and Jonas Brodin were still out with injuries.

Jesper Wallstedt was in net while the Avalanche opted to go with Mackenzie Blackwood after pulling Scott Wedgewood in Game 3. The game started in favor of the Wild with the first goal on the power play, but the Avalanche responded with their second power play goal. They went into the third with a 1-1 tie. The Avalanche took the lead, but the Wild responded by tying it 2-2 halfway through the third.

The Avalanche took control from that point on and scored a goal to take a 3-2 lead. After that they went on to add two empty-net goals to make it 5-2 and take a 3-1 lead. In this article, we’ll look at a few picks, starting with the effortless Wild.

Wild Can’t Repeat Game 3

The Wild got the first goal of the game, and things seemed to be going well for them, and ended up starting at the other end as the game went on. The Wild lacked the competitive edge and grit that got them the win in Game 3, and they lost. They tried to fight, but by the time they got into the game, it was too late.

In Game 3, they shut down the Avalanche, but in Game 4, the Avalanche came back at them. They intercepted Wild passes, kept them away from their goalie, and forced mistakes in the Wild end. While Games 1 and 2 of the Wild weren’t great, Game 3 was, but then they lost in Game 4.

“We made bad decisions with the puck tonight, especially in the first half of the game. And, to be honest, we probably didn’t deserve to win if you look at the whole game. I felt like we started playing about seven minutes, eight minutes left in the second half, that’s when we found our game. On both blues lines, really, that team is very good where you can run away from pucks, not pucks away from our pucks. The blue line. And if you take the whole game, the final score is where it should have been, to be honest,” said Nico Sturm in his press conference after the game when asked about their shifts after the goals.

Wild Lacks Reaction

While the Wild got the first goal of the game, they couldn’t sustain a consistent effort to maintain that lead. They held it in the first half and the second half, but when the Avalanche tied it, it was clear that the effort changed even more, and there was not the same response as they had in Game 3.

Although the Wild were already up 3-0 when the Avalanche struck in Game 3, that moment would be the turning point for the Avalanche to climb back into the game. Instead, the Wild responded 20 seconds later to show they weren’t going to let the Avalanche get back into that game. The Wild lacked that answer in Game 4; they took the lead, but they couldn’t catch it, and they couldn’t find a way to climb back into the game.

“Yeah, I’m not sure, he said a few days ago, the shifts after the goals are the biggest change in the games, and you want to try to ride that momentum. They played well. We didn’t, I think that’s what it really comes down to. They came out and pushed like we did in Game 3. When they scored their power play goal, we came out well and I got an answer, we didn’t get an answer. It just started from the first half.

Wild Had Some Bright Spots To Focus On

The Wild opened the scoring on the power play, and it looked like they were going to turn things around again. Although it was not the case, the effort of rookie Danila Yurov cannot be ignored, being in front of the net to clinch the game. Actually, his team should have been trying to repeat his goal all night, but for some reason, it wasn’t going in front of the net even though they saw it working.

Yurov’s power play goal was a bright spot in a bright spot, but one that saw Nico Sturm get on the score sheet at a crucial time. He had chances all night, and it finally paid off after Quinn Hughes made a strong effort in the offensive zone to keep the puck and make a nice pass to the waiting Sturm, who wasted no time putting it to Blackwood.

At that time, it looked like the game would go in the Wild’s favor, but as they said before, it was not the case, as the Wild were not aggressive enough. They allowed the Avalanche to force their way into the game, and they won.

“Nothing. We lost today. If we win, maybe it will make me very happy. But now everything is about winning the next game. Come back to the series,” said Dania Yurov to the media in her post-match interview when asked about her goal.

The Wild must now win the next game to stay alive, or their postseason run will be over. They’ve been in this situation before, and it’s gone both ways in their franchise history. Hopefully, they can continue to rewrite the narrative and win Game 5 to force Game 6 at home.