The Minnesota Wild’s season ended much sooner than anyone wanted or expected after falling in Game 6 to the St. Loius Blues. A number of things went wrong for the team throughout the series. After losing Game 1, they seemed to get their act together for Games 2 and 3. However, it would be short-lived as they lost Games 4, 5, and 6. Games 1 and 6 were by far the worst performances of the series.
It wasn’t all bad. Kirill Kaprizov somehow found another level within his game and set more records. He had seven goals and a single assist for eight points in six games. The goaltending was up and down throughout the series but was never the reason for any of the losses. Both Marc-André Fleury and Cam Talbot may have let in a couple of “soft” goals, but the puck shouldn’t have made it through the defense either. While the goaltenders weren’t disappointing, there were a number of players that were. Had they stepped up, the series could have had a different outcome.
Wild’s Fiala Falls Short
This one is pretty obvious and was talked about throughout the whole series. Kevin Fiala had a season of career-highs but seemed to stop in its tracks when the postseason hit. If it were his rookie year, it would be a little easier to understand because it can be challenging for rookies to adjust to that next level during the postseason. However, it was his sixth time in the playoffs and his third straight for the Wild.
Kevin Fiala, Minnesota Wild (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)
Last season, when the Wild took on the Vegas Golden Knights, Fiala also struggled. In seven games he had just one goal and one assist. The season before that was better, as he had four points in four games. This postseason, besides having hardly any points, he also recorded the most penalty minutes of any player on the Wild. His was by far the biggest shock and disappointing performance of the playoffs. If the Wild hang on to him for next season, he has to find a way to score more points so he can…
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