Minnesota Wild Gameday Playoff Preview: Game 1 vs. Avalanche – Hockey Writers – Minnesota Wild

The Minnesota Wild earned their spot in the second round with a solid 5-2 Game 6 victory over the Dallas Stars to win their first-round series 4-2. They had an up-and-down series with the Stars, but they kept their game and won. They will now face the Colorado Avalanche, who beat the Los Angeles Kings 4-0 and have been away for almost a week.

The Wild will have their hands even fuller this time around, as every step closer to securing the Stanley Cup, it becomes more and more difficult. Like the Stars series, this round is expected to be exciting and full of talent. In this article, we will look at a quick preview of Game 1 against the Avalanche that will be played on Sunday night, May 3.

Wild Face Overhead Injury

Against the Stars, the Wild had to play without Mats Zuccarello for three games and Yakov Trenin for two, each of whom had significant missed opportunities. They bounced back for the final two games of the series, and were crucial in getting the win they needed to advance to Round 2. They’ll need Zuccarello’s speed and Trenin’s physicality against the Avalanche, but now they’ll have to deal with more injury issues.

The first was Jonas Brodin, who was injured in Game 5 against the Stars after blocking a shot and did not play in Game 6. He did not go with the team in Denver and will definitely miss Game 1 against the Avalanche. The Wild managed to get through one game without him, but they realized he was gone. It will be even more difficult now when they face the Avalanche, who have a lot of power that Brodin cannot stop.

While that injury is certain, they also have a question mark on their roster with Joel Eriksson Ek. He fell badly in Game 6, and although he finished the game, he is listed as questionable for Game 1 against the Avalanche. If the Wild have to play without both Brodin and Eriksson Ek, it will be quite a setback. They can do it, but they will need others to step up and help.

Wild Ride Momentum

The Wild got a big win in Game 1 of their series against the Stars. Can they do that against the Avalanche is the question. They should have momentum on their side after exiting in the first round for the first time in 11 years. The fans are the happiest they’ve been in years, and while the team is still excited, they know they have a lot of work to do.

However, they need to find a way to take all that excitement and put it into their playoff game against the Avalanche. They are looking for another road matchup that will try to knock them off their game, but the Wild have found a way to do the opposite and have done very well on the road so far. It will be interesting to see if they can start the same.

“I don’t think it’s that difficult. We didn’t have a goal to win the first round. You dream a lot. You see high expectations for yourself and for each other. It was like every series I think too. It’s like that in the next sense. You can’t change the past. I think that’s something we handled very well, we’re coming out 2-1, we’re coming out of yours right. At the same time, we’re all very happy to get to Colorado and keep the game going. You enjoy it and learn as much as you can, and things like that,” Matt Boldy told the media in his postgame conference following Game 6 about balancing happiness and staying motivated.

Special Groups Problems in the Wild

Everyone knew going into the Stars series that the Wild would have to be strong on both the power play and the penalty kill. They struggled in both but still found a way to come out on top in the series, but they won’t expect that to happen again. They have to get their power play back to what it was or their penalty kill.

It will be difficult to get them both back on the same page quickly, but if they can get at least one going, hopefully the other will follow suit. The good news for the Wild is that the Avalanche’s power play has also had issues, so they’re in the same boat, but the Wild’s have been a little better. And they’re both in the same spot when it comes to the penalty kill, so special teams can be attractive.

If one team can get their special teams going in the right direction, that could be enough to be the difference maker and lead the team to a series victory. Hopefully, the Wild can show what they are really capable of and advance to the third round.