The Minnesota Wild were on game two of their three-game homestand when they played host to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Sunday evening, Nov. 3. As the season continues, some games will be more of a test to see what this team can do, and this was one of those games. It was a close physical battle that showcased the talented players on both teams. The roster remained the same from their game Friday evening, Nov. 1, against the Tampa Bay Lighting. Even Jake Middleton was in the lineup after his wife gave birth to a baby girl the night prior.
The Wild also saw a familiar face in Ryan Reaves, who played for them just a couple of seasons ago. He was spotted chatting with Marc-André Fleury during warm-ups. The game had a lot of hitting, which the Wild haven’t had to deal with much yet this season. It seemed to catch them a little off guard, but they buckled down and got to business.
It took until overtime, but the Wild came out on top thanks to a strong defensive effort that led to a breakaway in the other direction. The Wild’s Matt Boldy scored the game-winning goal, and we’ll start this article by looking at the strong defensive effort that got them there.
Wild Stay Committed
It was an odd game with many tic-tac plays where the puck refused to stay on anyone’s sticks. As mentioned above, it was also a very physical game, and the Wild did return the physicality but stayed composed despite the flow seeming off. Regardless, the Wild stuck with their play even if they couldn’t get anything to go for them for extended periods.
The top line had some strong chances, as did the third and even the fourth, but the second line did struggle, which was noticed all around the rink. Boldy had some strong efforts throughout the game, but he also had some miscues. He kept at it and was rewarded in overtime when Jared Spurgeon cut off a Maple Leafs player heading for a breakaway and sent the puck up the ice to Marco Rossi.
Rossi and Boldy were breaking into the zone, and Rossi just tipped the puck to Boldy, who took it from there and secured the win. Boldy is one of those players who can step up when the pressure is on, and he did just that to score in this one. He didn’t try to get too fancy with the puck and overplay it; he just made a move and shot. Hopefully, the Wild can calm their play down for their next game, and they’ll get more chances.
Wild’s…
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