15 October 2023
The Wild flew into Montreal early Sunday morning in something of a bind, asking serious questions about a blue line that just days ago pitched a shutout against the Florida Panthers in their season opener.
Before Saturday’s game in Toronto, Maple Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe told reporters that his team couldn’t expect a replay of the Leafs’ 6-5, season-opening victory over Montreal because the Wild play a tight defensive system. But it was anything but in a 7-4 victory over Minnesota at Scotiabank Arena.
After watching his team struggle to contain star wingers Auston Matthews and William Nylander, among others, Wild head coach Dean Evason said his staff already was planning on making changes before Tuesday night’s game against the Canadiens at Bell Centre.
The problem right now is the Wild (1-1-0) have few options, which is probably why Evason characterized the changes as “adjustments with our pairs.”
Spurgeon, who suffered an upper-body injury when checked into the boards during a preseason game at Chicago on Oct. 4, hadn’t started skating as of Saturday. The Wild have Dakota Mermis, the only minor-league blue liner whose NHL deal will fit into Minnesota’s remaining cap space, available to play Tuesday. He was called up for the Canadian road trip as what Evason called “insurance.”
Alex Goligoski and Jake Middleton, the latter taking the place of injured captain Jared Spurgeon, struggled all night against the Maple Leafs, finishing a combined minus-5. Goligoski and Jon Merrill each committed penalties that led to power-play goals, and the former was saddled with an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty with the Wild trailing 4-3 early in the third period.
Tired of what he felt was lopsided officiating, Goligoski said he told an on-ice official to “make a (friggin’) call,” and in fact might have had a point. But Evason called it a “really stupid, bad penalty” and blamed the resulting Maple Leafs power play for killing the momentum Minnesota had built with two consecutive goals while playing 5 on 5.
Goligoski, a veteran playing his 17th NHL season, fell on his sword after the game, but Middleton was on the ice for four goals, and Merrill and partner Calen Addison for three. as Minnesota’s blue line was under constant duress, sometimes because of sloppy play by forwards.
Wild goalie Filip Gustavsson, who stopped all 41 shots in last Thursday’s 2-0 victory over the Panthers, didn’t get nearly as many clean looks at pucks as he did in the opener. Tyler Bertuzzi was camped at the crease for his power-play goal, and Nylander’s second goal came on a point-blank shot after he skated the puck in from above the left circle.
Rookie Brock Faber, maybe the Wild’s best player in two games this season, managed to finish the game plus-3. Evason and his staff could split up his pairing with Jonas Brodin (plus-2), or replace a blue liner with Mermis; otherwise, there aren’t many options.
Another potential issue is the upper-body injury suffered Saturday by forward Matt Boldy, who has been one of the Wild’s best forwards early. He left Saturday’s game after a collision with Morgan Reilly with 9 minutes, 38 seconds remaining and never returned.
“When a guy doesn’t come back in a game, then it’s obviously more serious than we want it to be,” Evason said after the game.
The Wild were off Sunday and there likely won’t be an update on Boldy’s status until the team practices Monday afternoon. If Boldy can’t play Tuesday, the Wild are in a bind because with about $818,000 left under the salary cap, they can’t call a forward up from Iowa and keep Mermis on the roster.
If they choose to send Mermis back and recall a forward, the Wild’s options are Juhjar Khaira, Vinni Lettieri and Lakeville’s Nick Swaney, whose $775,000 NHL deals fit the slot.
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