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The Minnesota Wild took on the Utah Mammoth on Saturday, Oct. 25, to begin their six-game homestand after being on the road for the previous five games. The road trip was a rough one, which included losing Zach Bogosian to an injury and a 1-3-1 record. Aside from the addition of Bogosian, the Wild’s injuries remained the same, as did the goaltending. Both the Wild and Mammoth were on the first half of back-to-backs, which meant Filip Gustavsson got the start in net while Jesper Wallstedt was expected to take the second half on Sunday. Both teams were coming off losses and looked to get back on the right track with a win. The game started off in the Mammoth’s favor with three straight goals to open the game, and the Wild found themselves fighting to get back in it. Despite a strong resurgence for the Wild in the middle of the game, they couldn’t hold on and fell 6-2. In this article, we’ll look at a few takeaways from the loss, starting with a bright spot in their lone goal scorer, Marcus Johansson. Wild’s Johansson Has Strong Night One of the constant questions regarding the Wild’s lineup is whether Marcus Johansson should be in the top six, but he earned it against the Mammoth. He didn’t have the greatest play all game, but he did when it counted, and that included getting the Wild back in the game, not once but twice, and pulled them within one after being down 3-0. He had some other strong chances that didn’t go in, but it wasn’t for lack of effort. He also had some struggles defensively, but overall, he was one of the main reasons the Wild were able to get back into the game when they did, and they’ll need that effort to continue if they want to win games. “I think Marcus (Johansson) has been very consistent, I think his speed’s a factor every night, I think his ability to make plays has been strong. He’s shooting the puck when he’s in the areas to be able to shoot it, and it just seems wherever we put him, that line seems to be able to be a factor, but it helps when you have a guy that can skate like that, and can make plays, and he’s got a consistent effort and competitiveness about him. So he’s kind of bounced around a little bit on different lines, you know where he’s been, usually that line has been good, and that’s a sign of a guy playing consistent hockey,” said head coach John Hynes about Johansson’s effort so far this season in the postgame press conference. Wild Had It For a Short Time It’s been the same story in a few games already this season: the Wild manage to either get a lead and can’t hold it, or they attempt a comeback and fall short. What both of these have in common is their ability to play really well for a period of time, but it doesn’t stay. While they aren’t playing terrible, they aren’t playing up to the ability they know they can.
