The Minnesota Wild were finally back in action after ten days without a game played. They were on the road with a later start time against the Chicago Blackhawks who were without superstar Connor Bedard. The Wild were without Connor Dewar and Patrick Maroon, who are still on the injured list with Maroon undergoing back surgery, but they did get Marc-André Fleury back on the bench to back up Filip Gustavsson, who got the start.
The Wild got things started not once but twice before it actually counted. It appeared they had scored early in the first, but it was waved off for goaltender interference. However, they got it to count later in the period and took a 1-0 lead. They protected the lead through the rest of the first, but then, in the second, a breakdown on defense allowed the Blackhawks to tie things up at one.
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The true test came in the third, to see if the Wild could bounce back despite giving up another lead. Things looked a little tense until Gustavsson made some big saves, and then the Wild found a way to sneak one in and retake the lead. That lead held despite some close calls, and they started their return from the All-Star Break on the right foot. One of the main storylines of the night was the Foligno brothers, and that’s where we’ll start.
Foligno Brothers Battle
It was the 24th time Marcus and Nick Foligno, both alternate captains for their respective teams, have played against each other, and Marcus has had a slight advantage over the seasons with 14 wins to 10, according to the TNT TV broadcast. Nick started out with the upper hand as he scored to get his team back into the game, but then his brother had to have the last say.
Marcus scored to give the Wild a lead late in the third and somewhat redeemed his time in the penalty box. He secured all nine penalty minutes for the Wild and owed his penalty kill a thank you, as they were perfect all night. He’s been more reliable this season, and now that he’s got another goal, hopefully, he can start scoring more often.
Wild Full Effort
The break did some good for the Wild; although they didn’t come out with much energy, they weren’t making lazy mistakes either. They seemed to be doing almost everything right in terms of play. Their offense was dropping back and helping out on defense while their defense stepped up and took shots on the offensive side.
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