Minnesota Wild: 3 Things They Can Improve On
The Minnesota Wild are a surprise this season, but not in a good way. They were expected to be much better than they’ve proven to be.
There are a multitude of problems facing the Minnesota Wild right now. Some of which are actually quite solvable. Their main problem right now is not seeing the ways in which they can improve. The Wild don’t really need any more players to fill gaps because they have all the necessary pieces.
A lot of their problems stem from not utilizing what they have the right way. After all, the Wild haven’t changed drastically from last year, and they were a formidable team last season. Nearly halfway through the season, the Wild still have time to turn things around. However, they better act fast if they want their efforts to pay off. Here are three things they’ll need to improve on.
1. Confidence
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For some teams, after a rough start, it’s hard to get back into a good mindset. Goaltenders give up bad goals and they stop believing they can make big saves. Forwards hit scoring slumps and lose their ability to make normal plays they’ve always been used to making.
These things happen in this intense NHL. What’s good is that the schedule is extremely long, making it easy to bounce back faster. As stated, this team hasn’t changed all that much, making it impossible for them to be this different from last season.
2. Playing From Start To Finish
One of the main problems across the league, even for good teams, is playing a full game. It’s difficult to maintain that energy for 60 minutes. The only solution is to get to the bottom of why the Wild are finding it difficult to have the mental stamina they need.
There seems to be a pattern that they start out games strong. However, they make one mistake in the middle, give up a goal, and that takes away any chance of momentum. After that, the Wild can’t seem to gain it back for the rest of the game.
In a game against the Kings recently, this pattern was blatantly obvious, as that third period was one of their worst of the season. They’ll need to find the road to consistency if they want to get better.
3. Offensive Production
It goes without saying that teams need to be able to score in a league that is constantly trying to boost scoring (however artificial it may be). They’ll need to improve their power play and their five on five play.
Next: 3 Burning Questions For The Wild
Their defense was what they were focusing on going on this road trip. However, that is the wrong approach. They have the defensive ability, but what they need now is solid scoring to go with it.