The Minnesota Wild game against the Edmonton Oilers started off in a disappointing fashion. Only one minute into the game, the Oilers were already on the board. After a hot and cold start to the season, plenty of Wild players needed to find their footing. The Oilers are also off to a bad start to the season. Thankfully, something clicked, and the Wild won a statement game as they push further into their season.
The Top Line is Back, Baby
It’s been a struggle for Kirill Kaprizov, Ryan Hartman, and Mats Zuccarello. The top line only had a combined 15 points in the first five games of the season. It was getting to the point where the top line was about to be split apart. But last night was different—the top line combined for 15 points in just one game.
The biggest story of the night was Ryan Hartman’s hat trick, plus two assists. Hartman previously had a hatty during his time with the Chicago Blackhawks, but that one included two empty-net goals. His most recent hat trick was made up of three goals that had to get past a goaltender.
Middleton Stepped Up
Skating next to Calen Addison, Jake Middleton found his stride. After struggling without having regular defensive partner Jared Spurgeon to lean on, Middleton finally had a positive game. After a +/- of 0 during the season opener, Middleton has been in the negative. He reversed that with the Oilers. In fact, all three Wild goals that he was on the ice for. This was the first three-point game in Middleton’s NHL career.
Marco Rossi’s Here to Stay
After his last season was spent mostly in the AHL, there was no way Marco Rossi was going to let himself get sent back down. The work that he put in over the summer has been obvious on the ice. Last season, Rossi had one assist before he was sent down to Iowa. This year, he’s got two goals (a third was waved off) and looks more the part of an NHL player.
Foligno Is Taking His Extension Seriously
Marcus Foligno has been trying to get a bit more offensive with his game, and last night, he succeeded, netting a goal in the third period. However, he knows what his role on the team is. So far this season, Foligno leads the NHL with 29 hits. Looks like that new contract motivated him pretty well.
Matt Boldy Back Soon?
The Wild have a three-game trip to the East Coast at the end of the week, and Matt Boldy is traveling along with them. While coach Dean Evason says Boldy isn’t ready to play for Thursday’s game, he could be ready by the third game of the trip on Sunday. For now, he’ll be skating with the team. Boldy has been out since he was injured during the 10/14 game against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Can the Oilers Count?
One of the oddest storylines running through last night’s game was the fact that the refs called four too many men penalties, and three of them were against the Oilers. This tied for the most too many men calls in NHL history.
