Wild Blog: 4 Thoughts On Wild's Loss To Dallas
By: Craig D. Schroepfer (@CDSWCCO)
The Minnesota Wild started their quest for the Stanley Cup in Dallas on Thursday night.
It did not go the way Wild fans were hoping it would.
A pairs of goals in the second period gave Dallas a 2-0 lead they would never relinquish as the Stars took Game 1 of the series with a 4-0 victory over Minnesota.
Watching the game, there were a few things that stood out which played a factor in the Wild loss.
MINNESOTA NEEDS TO GET MORE SHOTS ON GOAL
In the first period Dallas out-shot Minnesota 14 to two. The Stars have a potent offense so it's no surprise that they had 14 shots on goal.
For the Wild though, they need to do a better job getting pucks on net. Goaltending is the Achilles heel for Dallas as the Stars gave up 230 goals during the season, most of any playoff team.
Minnesota did a better job shooting the puck in the second and third period, finishing the game with 22 shots on goal. That's not a bad total if you are scoring goals. It's a weak number if you are being shut out.
Stars goaltender Kari Lehtonen has a history of giving up soft goals. But, that can only happen if the Wild shoot the puck at him. Lehtonen had an easy night in net as he was rarely challenged by the Wild.
WILD NEED TO STAY OUT OF THE PENALTY BOX
Dallas had six power play opportunities during the night, scoring on one of them in the third period. A penalty kill of 83 percent isn't bad over the course of a season. In one game against a team like Dallas it means you are asking for trouble.
Dallas had the fourth best power play in the NHL this season at 22.5 percent. Minnesota had the fourth worst penalty kill on the season at 77.9 percent. It was only a matter of time before Dallas scored a power play goal, doing so on their fifth try of the night.
Minnesota was lucky Dallas was only able to convert once on the power play. If the Wild can't stay out of the penalty box they are playing right into the hands of the Stars. Sooner or later Dallas will capitalize on their opportunities with the man advantage.
LACK OF AWARENESS ON ICE LEAD TO GOALS
The first goal that Dallas scored came as the result of a turnover in the neutral zone.
Jarrett Stoll was skating with the puck through the neutral zone when Stars forward Ales Hemsky was able to intercept it. Hemsky then skated into the Wild zone and was able to make a pass to Radek Faksa who was trailing on the play. Faksa beats Dubnyk with a wrist shot, giving the Stars a 1-0 lead.
The second goal for Dallas happened because of a breakdown on defense. Stars forward Patrick Eaves was bringing the puck through the neutral zone when three Wild players ended up surrounding him. As a result Eaves was able to make a pass to Jason Spezza who skated into the Minnesota zone untouched.
Matt Dumba wasn't able to get back over in time to force Spezza to go wide. As a result, Spezza was able to beat Dubnyk glove side, making it 2-0 Stars.
Two goals scored due to lack of awareness on the ice and players being out of position. If Minnesota is to win this series they can't let Dallas move the puck in transition. On both those goals that is exactly what happened.
DEVAN DUBNYK SHINES IN GOAL
In Thursday's game preview I wrote that Devan Dubnyk had to be the best player on the ice for the Wild to have a chance to win this series.
In Game 1 Dubnyk was hands down the best player for Minnesota.
Dubnyk stopped 28 of the 31 shots he faced. He was bombarded by shots in the first period, turning away all 14 that he faced. Of the three goals Dubnyk allowed, none can be considered a soft goal.
Dubnyk gave his team a chance to win Thursday. The Wild offense however was unable to provide any goals to help him out.
So, what does Minnesota need to do to win Game 2?
The Wild need to force Dallas to work for their goals. The three goals scored Thursday by the Stars were scored in transition where all they had to do was carry the puck into the zone.
Minnesota needs to force Dallas to dump the puck in the corners forcing the Stars to go chase it. The Dallas offense is less explosive if they are playing alongside the boards instead of the middle of the ice.
If Minnesota can do that, get more shots on goal and have Dubnyk repeat his performance from Game 1, then the Wild have a chance to return to St. Paul with the series tied 1-1.
And after Game 1, most Wild fans would be thrilled with a split in Dallas.
