What We Learned About the Minnesota Wild in Brutal Self-Induced Gm 5 Loss vs Knights

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Matt Boldy : Stanley Cup Playoffs - Minnesota Wild at Vegas Golden Knights
Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

The Minnesota Wild went back to Las Vegas for game five vs the Golden Knights feeling confident. Even after giving away game four, even with the series tied 2-2, even going back on the road… the Wild felt like they had the better team.

Still, there were all sorts of questions entering game five, especially surrounding some changes (and non-changes) to line combinations. Marcus Johansson was back on the ice after missing game four with an injury. Meanwhile, Marco Rossi remained buried on the fourth line, and top prospect Zeev Buium… relegated to the press box.

Would John Hynes’ decision to scratch Buium and continue to mistreat Rossi pay off with a road win in game five? If so, media questions and fan pressure to play the talented youngsters more would fade. After all, winning cures everything…

What We Learned – Minnesota Wild vs Vegas Golden Knights (Gm 5)

NHL: Stanley Cup Playoffs - Minnesota Wild at Vegas Golden Knights
Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

Of course, nothing can come easy. Just like game four, game five ended took overtime to settle. And just like game four, OT did not go in the Wild’s favor. But, they have nobody to blame but themselves for Tuesday’s 3-2 OT loss. So, let’s get into it. Here’s what we learned about the Minnesota Wild during their game five L vs the Vegas Golden Knights.

Golden Knights made Minnesota Wild pay for playing choosing veterans over talent

After Zeev Buium committed the costly high-sticking penalty in the third period of game four, not only did it cost the Minnesota Wild their late lead, but it forced head coach John Hynes to sit him on the bench for all of overtime.

That too wound up being a mistake because, after rotating shifts for nearly 20 minutes, Jake Middleton was so tired by the end of OT that he was off his skates and out of position for the game-winning goal, scored by Ivan Barbashev with 2:34 remaining in the first and only overtime period.

So for game five, instead of entrusting Buium with more responsibility, the Wild put him up in the press box, replaced by Jon Merrill, who recently returned from injury and hasn’t played a game yet this postseason. It didn’t take long for that decision to prove costly, and it didn’t stop with this one missed pinch.

Oh that wasn’t even the start of it. Merrill’s ghastly decision above nearly cost the Minnesota Wild yet again. Merrill wasn’t on the ice for Vegas’ first goal of the game. No defenseman was. See, the Golden Knights first goal of game five came on a Wild power play, the first of the game — early in the 1st period.

A shorty… but how? Because, without Buium available to play the point on the first power play unit, the Wild went with five forwards instead. After a turnover in the Golden Knights’ zone, it was Boldy trying to back check the semi-odd man rush for Vegas. And boy oh boy did he look like a fish out of water.

If you read all the way to the bottom of this article, you’ll see how Merrill helped Vegas put the OT nail in Minnesota’s game five coffin too. But of course, it wasn’t just Zeev Buium getting the short end of the stick in game five. Marco Rossi again got less than 12 minutes of ice time on the fourth line.

Meanwhile, Marcus Johansson was nowhere to be found and Freddy Gaudreau had one shot on goal while going 4-of-11 in the faceoff circle. In fact, Rossi was the only center on the Wild depth chart who won as many faceoffs as he lost.

Oh, and “trusty” veteran Gustav Nyquist literally cost the Minnesota Wild a game five win when he skated offsides on what would have been Ryan Hartman’s game-winning goal with less than 1.5 minutes left in the third period. After this was wiped out on a challenge, the game went to overtime and… well you’ll see that part momentarily.

Filip Gustavsson kept the Wild close… then disappeared

The Minnesota Wild came out in game one playing pretty good hockey. If not for mistakes by a fish-out-of-water Matt Boldy trying to play point on the power play, the Wild may have won that. While they played pretty well, Vegas won the period on the scoreboard 2-1 and peppered Gustavsson with 16 shots on net, to the Wild’s 9.

In the 2nd period, the Golden Knights got less shots off (9 SOG), but they fully dominated the period. Meanwhile, the Minnesota Wild (7 SOG) left Gustavsson hung out to dry multiple times. In that ugly middle period, Minnesota looked disorganized and their forwards were way too reckless with the puck.

Related: MN Wild Practice Reveals Controversial Line Combos and New Injury Updates

Unlike in the 1st period, however, the Wild never paid for it, even as the Golden Knights got high percentage chance after high percentage chance. Thankfully, Filip Gustavsson buckled down in the second period, allowing the Wild to stay in the game and go into the 3rd down only one goal.

But when the Minnesota Wild came out of the locker room for the 3rd period, Gustavsson was nowhere to be found. Later, we found out he was dealing with an illness that prevented him from going back in net, meaning Marc-Andre Fleury made his 18th postseason appearance, in his place.

And he took the baton from Gustavsson and continued with more really impressive play in goal, in part thanks to a much better effort from the skaters in front of him, something Filip did not get before he exited the contest.

Matt Boldy, MN Wild brought it in third period… lose on OT faceoffs

In the third period, the Minnesota Wild came out of the intermission with their hair on fire. With Marc-Andre in net to replace the sick Filip Gustavsson, the skaters in front of him had a different intensity and it showed.

But out of anybody, it was Matt Boldy who was skating circles around Vegas defenders. And 3:31 into the third, he was paid off for his efforts with a game-tying goal that flipped this playoff contest on its head.

After an incredible cross-ice pass by Joel Eriksson Ek, Boldy came crossed the blue line, beautifully boxed the defenseman out as he skated around the crease, before flipping the puck back across Aden Hill’s body and over his left shoulder for an absolutely stunning goal.

From there, after the aforementioned “trusty” Nyquist blew the game by going offsides, wiping out the Wild’s game-winning goal with just over a minute left in regulation, the game ended up in overtime, and it did not go well.

After the Wild lost all six faceoffs in OT, Brett Howden finally put one past Marc Andre-Fleury, and the game was over. The Minnesota Wild have struggled in the faceoff circle since as long as I can remember… and they never seem all that concerned about fixing it.

Well, in game five that came back to bite them yet again. Oh, and notice who missed their defensive assignment on the game-winner… Jon Merrill and Josh Bogosian — two more “trusty” veterans who Hynes and Guerin played over Zeev Buium.

Can Minnesota Wild learn from their mistakes before it is too late?

And now, the Wild head back to St. Paul with their 2025 playoff lives on the line. And they have nobody to blame but themselves. Will John Hynes and Billy G. look themselves in the mirror tonight, and on Wednesday?

Will they admit that they do not have good enough “trusty” veteran talent on this roster to hold Rossi and Buium down, in order to avoid adolescent mistakes? Because on Tuesday, those veterans cost the Minnesota Wild a win in Vegas.

If we’re gonna have dudes making mistakes and costing games, why not have them be made by extremely talented youngsters who can then gain that valuable experience for future purposes, then also use their talent to help make up for said mistakes? It makes no sense.

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