ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

Wild stole home ice advantage from Stars. They feel that outweighs blowout loss

After a split in Dallas, the Wild are pleased to head back to St. Paul tied at 1-1

Minnesota Wild left wing Marcus Foligno (17) screens Dallas Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger in the crease during the first period in game two of their NHL playoff series April 19, 2023, in Dallas.
Minnesota Wild left wing Marcus Foligno (17) screens Dallas Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger in the crease during the first period in game two of their NHL playoff series April 19, 2023, in Dallas.
Jerome Miron / USA Today Sports

Regardless of what it might have felt like after the Minnesota Wild suffered a 7-3 blowout loss to the Dallas Stars on Wednesday night, the sun came out Thursday morning, and everyone had completely turned the page by the time the team landed back in the Twin Cities.

What started as a best-of-seven series is now a best-of-five, and, yes, the Wild have stolen home-ice advantage from the Stars.

That was the message from most players in the Wild locker room Wednesday night, and after a 2½-hour flight home on Thursday afternoon, coach Dean Evason shared a similar sentiment.

“Just nice to be back here at home 1-1, right?” Evason said. “That’s the positive.”

Evason noted how there’s no point to the Wild dwelling on the negatives, so long as they are able to correct their mistakes moving forward.

ADVERTISEMENT

“What’s the point? The game is over. We’re 1-1,” Evason said. “We’ve got most importantly probably our crowd. Our guys are going to be jacked. Looking forward to getting that puck dropped.”

The way the Wild went about earning a split in Dallas offered both a good example and a bad example of how they want to operate.

In Monday’s 3-2 double-overtime win, the Wild slowed the pace, looking very calm in front of Filip Gustavsson. In the loss, the Wild got caught running around, paving the way for chaos in front of Marc-Andre Fleury.

“Game 1 is how we want to play; Game 2 is how they want to play,” Evason said. “We’ve got to get back to where we’re at. We’ll have some adjustments (with a video session) in the morning. Our group will see the stuff, and they know if we do the right thing, we’ll give ourselves a chance to win.”

MORE MINNESOTA WILD COVERAGE:
Pro
McLean served as an assistant coach with the Iowa Wild of AHL from 2017-20.
Pro
Heading into this summer the Wild have roughly $8 million at their disposal
Pro
This is 2 years in a row that he’s been rendered ineffective in the playoffs
Pro
The organization seemed to lose confidence in both players this season.
Pro
After making it back to the playoffs, the Wild bowed out in underwhelming fashion.
Pro
Johansson posted 18 points (6 goals, 12 assists) in 20 games with the Wild in the regular season and added a pair of goals in the playoffs.
Pro
Talking to reporters Monday afternoon, Dumba confronted the reality that his time in Minnesota might be over
Pro
Both Gustavsson and Fleury look to return next season
Pro
Coaching changes, player movement all on the table.
Pro
After going up 2-1 in the first-round playoff series, the Wild lost back-to-back-to-back games

There are specific things the Wild have to clean up ahead of Game 3 on Friday night at the Xcel Energy Center.

The home crowd could play a major factor as Wild fans have been known to get pretty rowdy during the playoffs. Perhaps that can carry the Wild as they look to bounce back.

“We leave here 1-1 and we’re ready to rock in Minnesota,” winger Mats Zuccarello said after the loss. “As long as we’re ready to play next game, this game doesn’t matter right now.”

That’s the focus for the Wild moving forward.

ADVERTISEMENT

“We’ve got home ice advantage now,” Gus Nyquist said. “We’ve got to take care of business at home here and we’ll be fine.”

______________________________________________________

This story was written by one of our partner news agencies. Forum Communications Company uses content from agencies such as Reuters, Kaiser Health News, Tribune News Service and others to provide a wider range of news to our readers. Learn more about the news services FCC uses here.

What To Read Next
Get Local

ADVERTISEMENT