29 November 2023
What the Wild did on Tuesday in a 3-1 victory over the St. Louis Blues, their first win since way back on Nov. 7, was, frankly, what Dean Evason was preaching before he was fired at the tail end of a seven-game losing streak.
The Wild played fast, kept the play in the Blues’ zone, won battles, moved their feet, let goaltender Filip Gustavssion see pucks, and threw shots on net. So, why did the Wild do it all, and then some, against the Blues and not for the previous three winless weeks?
The biggest difference, of course, is that their fifth-year coach had just been fired and replaced by John Hynes, and while there were small structural changes made before Tuesday’s win at Xcel Energy Center, the players mostly attributed the difference to what amounted to a kick in the pants.
“Anytime you go through a coaching change, or any sort of change, really, your emotions are super high. Your focus is super high, and I think that’s what you get,” veteran defenseman Zach Bogosian said after practice on Wednesday. “The end result is guys play assertive, guys play a complete game. That’s something we’ve got to continue.”
Hynes arrived at the X before Tuesday’s morning skate, when he literally met most of his players for the first time. He didn’t have time to make a lot of tactical changes to the way the Wild play. His biggest move Tuesday appears to have been holding a team meeting.
The message?
“That he believed in us to be a good team and not to focus too much on results but on the process, and that he believed we can play fast because we have a fast team,” veteran forward Freddy Gaudreau said. “He talked about not changing too much right off the bat like that because everything happens quick, and it would be kind of complicated to change everything.”
There were a few tweaks on Tuesday, and more on Wednesday, the Wild’s first practice under Hynes, who did a lot of conspicuous coaching at TRIA Rink before the team left on a charter for Thursday’s 7 p.m. puck drop in Nashville.
“It was nice that we played the way that we played last night because you can build off that, but then you can tweak certain things,” Hynes said. “So, little tweaks.”
A few things stood out during Hynes’ first post-practice meeting with reporters. He wants his players to be quick with decision-making, execution and their feet in an effort to keep play in the opponent’s end.
“It’s a hard league to win in, particularly as the year goes on, when you have to defend a lot,” he said. “If you can defend 200 feet from your net, it’s a fun way to play. I think it keeps players engaged, and over the course of an 82-game schedule, it gives you the best chance to play with energy, put teams on their heels.”
That doesn’t mean defense is secondary, and in fact the Wild kept St. Louis scoreless on Tuesday for 10 minutes, 32 seconds when down a man — eight on the penalty kill, the rest after coach Craig Berube pulled goaltender Jordan Binnington. But the focus is on making quick transitions from defense to offense.
“You don’t get frustrated,” Hynes said “You don’t just defend and chip pucks out.”
To that end, the Wild worked extensively Wednesday on moving the puck out of their own end, drilling a system of passes that should come as second nature to the skaters.
“Just trying to be more predictable, in our room, when we’re going back for pucks so we can get up and get out on the attack,” Hynes said. “I’d say that’s the biggest thing: Getting the pace and the tempo higher. What helps with that is when you have strong structure. It allows you to play quick.”
Part of that is knowing what triggers to look for, in any situation.
“When there’s clear first touches for the D, we’re thinking transition to offense,” Hynes said. “You know, when the puck is going to be contested, now we’ve got to come (back), and that’s the trigger (that says), ‘OK, it’s more of a defensive situation.’ And that’s what I mean.”
Most important, players said, is the team’s commitment.
“Last night was very similar to the way we’ve always played,” defenseman Brock Faber said. “I think really what we had was, Coach (Hynes) kept talking about our compete levels, playing for each other, and buying into the process of this change and the tough times. I think we played great. I think we played a complete game, and that’s the way we can play.
“When we play 60 minutes like that, it’s going to be tough for teams to play with us, I feel like. I feel like it was a good step, a step in the right direction.”
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