Better Composure & Focus Is Leading to Minnesota Wild Wins – The Hockey Writers – Minnesota Wild

The Minnesota Wild have made many improvements to their game this season compared to last. Some have been a lot more noticeable than others, like their goaltending, specifically Filip Gustavsson, which has been lights out. Their power play has scored in nearly every game they’ve played, and their penalty kill, while it struggled in the beginning, has been strong lately. 

Almost every aspect of their game has improved, and something that has made a big impact is their composure level. It’s been mentioned in several game takeaway articles, but the Wild struggled with their frustration in past seasons, and it would affect their game poorly. If they had penalty calls or goal calls go against them, and they argued, they would allow it to affect their mental game. 

This season that hasn’t been the case, and they’ve been the most focused I’ve seen them in a long time. Certain players have also improved their focus and have not allowed missed calls or big hits to ruin their mental game. It’s been a team effort, and in this article, we will break down how the composure level has affected their overall game, starting with penalties. 

Wild Stay Away From Box

For the last couple of seasons, it seemed like once the Wild got a penalty in a game, it was over, and they’d be constantly marching to the penalty box the rest of the game. In 82 games played last season, they had almost 1,000 penalty minutes, the fourth most in the league, and they missed the postseason. The season before that, they made it into the postseason despite having 935 penalty minutes, but those penalties also ended their postseason in the first round. 

This season, the Wild have spent only 26 minutes in the penalty box, making them one of the least penalized teams in the NHL. That has been a big help to them, as their penalty kill has been improving. However, it can take all the help, which means staying out of the penalty box. Surprisingly, unlike in seasons past, Marcus Foligno is not the most penalized player on the team; Yakov Trenin is.

The Wild have stayed composed to stay out of the penalty box. However, when they have been penalized, they accept it and head to the box. This has helped this team win their games and stay focused on what needs to be done. They must keep this attitude as the season progresses and avoid getting overly frustrated. 

Wild’s Focus…