The Minnesota Wild have been playing games every other day since their pause due to COVID-19 back in early February. Now heading into the final week of March, the team will have a three-day break, followed by two road games against San Jose, and then a four-day break. The Wild have been on a hot home-winning streak with 11 wins in a row in Minnesota. But can they keep it going heading into April? Here is the Minnesota Wild Week Recap.
Two More Rough Road Losses
Coast to Coast.
— Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) March 19, 2021
Victor Rask had the @JagermeisterUSA Shot of the Game yesterday. pic.twitter.com/rSJJi2zYT6
The Wild’s difficulties with away games continue. Going into these two away games in Colorado, Minnesota had been outscored by their opponents 27-13 in the six away games they had played in March. Unfortunately, the trend continued with the Wild dropping both games 5-1 in the first night and being shutout 6-0 in the second.
Eleven Home Wins in a Row
#mnwild extend its franchise-best home win streak to 11 games, outscoring its opponents, 35-14. It’s the longest home win streak in the NHL this season and is the longest by an NHL team since Tampa Bay’s 11-game home win streak in 2019-20.
— Minnesota Wild PR (@mnwildPR) March 26, 2021
Minnesota capitalized their home-ice advantage and walked into their break winning three in a row. In the first game against Anaheim, a second-period powerplay goal by Ryan Suter and an early third-period goal from Nick Bjugstad capped off the win for the Wild. Jared Spurgeon had a strong game early with two first-period goals, later followed by a tie-breaking goal from Nico Sturm which gave Minnesota the win. The Wild headed into the break on a high note. A strong shutout performance by Cam Talbot led Minnesota to yet another home win, making that 11 home victories in a row.
Which Team Will Come Out of the Break?
Which team will come out of the break? Will the strong offense and brick of a defense we’ve seen at home continue their success? Or will it be the team we’ve seen compete when they’re away? Minnesota has a chance at putting their subpar away game losses behind them. If they are able to keep their momentum going forward they could be a strong playoff team. If the other team returns, that could be an issue. The latter half of the season is when teams make their final push into the playoffs. The Wild won’t be able to play like they’ve been when away. It just isn’t playoff hockey. Hopefully, this break will be good and we’ll see a strong playoff team we’ve seen throughout the season.
