The Minnesota Wild were in the second game of their three-game homestand when they hosted the Toronto Maple Leafs on Sunday night (November 3). As the season continues, some games will be more of a test to see what this team can do. , and it was one of those games. It was a close, physical battle that showcased the talented players on both teams. The squad has remained the same since the match on Friday evening, November 1st. against Tampa Bay Lighting. Even Jake Middleton was in line after his wife gave birth to a baby girl the night before.

The Wild also saw a familiar face in Ryan Reaves, who played for them just a few seasons ago. He was seen chatting with Marc-André Fleury during warm-ups. The game featured a lot of hits, something the Wild haven’t had to deal with yet this season. This seemed to catch them a little off guard, but they buckled in and got to work.

It took overtime, but the Wild prevailed thanks to a strong defensive effort that led to a breakaway the other way. The savages Matt Boldy scored the game-winning goal, and we’ll begin this article by looking at the solid defensive effort that got them there.

Wild, stay engaged

It was a strange game with many tick-tock plays where the puck refused to stay on anyone’s sticks. As mentioned above, it was also a very physical game, and the Wild made the physical but I remained calm despite the flow which seems off. Regardless, the Wild stuck to their game even though they couldn’t get anything going for long stretches.

The first line had some good chances, as did the third and even the fourth, but the second line struggled, which was noticed throughout the rink. Boldy tried hard throughout the match, but he also made a few mistakes. He held on and was rewarded in overtime when Jared Spurgeon clipped a Maple Leafs player heading for a breakaway and sent the puck up the ice to Marco Rossi.

Rossi and Boldy were driving into the zone, and Rossi just fed the puck to Boldy, who took it from there and secured the win. Boldy is one of these players who can intensify when the pressure is on, and that’s exactly what he did to score in this one. He didn’t try to get too fancy with the puck and abuse it; he just gestured and fired. Hopefully the Wild can calm down for their next game and get more chances.

Wild’s confidence in Gustavsson continues

It’s as if Filip Gustavsson has been talked about in every article for every game he’s played in, and rightfully so. Except for a handful of goals this season that maybe he should have stopped, he played so hard this season. He played well last season, but this season he looks like a new goalie with a level of confidence beyond his years.

He was one of the main reasons the Wild forced overtime and ultimately won the game. When his team made defensive mistakes in front of him, he was ready to make the big save, and if he gave up a rebound, he was ready to stop it, too. Even after being scored shorthanded, he didn’t allow it to ruin his mental game; he remained strong.

Gustavsson has proven himself worthy of the starting role and hopefully each of these wins will add to his confidence level. He is more aggressive in gameshelping his defense and making the big saves when they need to.

Wild need to improve penalties

Their first penalty of the match is what any penalty should look like. Despite some good chances for the Maple Leafs, the Wild fell on almost every shot trying to get blocks. Jonas Brodin was constantly tracking the puck and trying to get in the way whenever he could, including swinging his stick incredibly fast to get into the passing lanes, and it worked.

Their second penalty seemed to go the same way, but they missed a pass in the middle of the defensive zone, leaving Nylander wide open for a clean shot towards the net, which shouldn’t have happened. There were some good things in their penalty, but they need to continue to improve it. They can’t continue to allow goals to be scored when they go shorthanded.

While the shooting came under scrutiny, so did their power play, which came up empty for the second straight game. They had three chances and even a four-minute power play that resulted in some strong looks, but they failed to convert. They are starting to fall back into their familiar pattern of passing the puck too often.

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It’s good that they want to find the perfect play, but they need to do it a little faster and not allow the defense to set up. Hopefully this is short-lived and they can start scoring goals again while having the man advantage because they have the talent to do so.

Stay wild at home

The Wild will conclude their three-game homestand against the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday, November 5. They will reunite with another former Wild player in Kevin Fiala and goaltender Darcy Kuemper, who was with the team a while ago. The Wild will need a fast start in this game and an early jump as the Kings are another team that will test them. Hopefully they will be able to score with their power play chances and stay out of the box to put another win on the board.