The Minnesota Wild were eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoffs by the Vegas Golden Knights with a 3-2 loss in Game 6 of the best-of-7 Western Conference First Round at Xcel Energy Center on Thursday.
Minnesota lost the final three games of the series, including two in overtime.
The Wild (45-30-7) qualified for the playoffs as the first wild card from the Western Conference. They have failed to advance past the first round in their past eight playoff appearances.
The skinny
Potential unrestricted free agents: Marcus Johansson, F; Gustav Nyquist, F; Justin Brazeau, F; Devin Shore, F; Jon Merrill, D; Declan Chisholm, D; Marc-Andre Fleury, G
Potential restricted free agents: Marco Rossi, F
Potential 2024 Draft picks: 4
Here are five reasons the Wild were eliminated:
1. Lack of depth scoring
Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy combined to score 10 of the Wild's 19 goals scored in this series. Marcus Foligno (three) was the only other forward with more than two goals during the series. The lack of depth scoring proved problematic as the series wore on and Vegas' top line started to limit Minnesota's top line during the final three games. Kaprizov and Boldy each scored once in the final three games and combined to finish minus-7 during that span.
2. Impotent power play
The Wild, minus Kaprizov, could not generate anything on the power play. He scored their only three power-play goals during the series; they had 13 power-play opportunities.
To make matters worse, the Wild surrendered two short-handed goals. Minnesota and the Toronto Maple Leafs are the only teams in the first round to allow more than one short-handed goal.
The Wild also could not find a quarterback for the power play. Rookie defenseman Zeev Buium got a turn early in the series, but his inexperience showed at times. Buium, who joined the team for the final week of the regular season after finishing his college career at the University of Denver, made his NHL debut in Game 1. He had one point in four games before he was replaced in the lineup. Defenseman Jared Spurgeon also was given a shot.
The Wild went with a five-forward alignment on the top unit in Game 5, but it was exploited by a short-handed goal at 8:25 of the first period. Each of the three forwards on the backcheck converged on Golden Knights forward Jack Eichel, who was carrying the puck. William Karlsson, unmarked, took a pass and scored a virtually uncontested goal for the 1-0 lead.
3. No killer instinct
Almost the entirety of the final three games were played tied or with one goal separating the teams. Minnesota couldn't find a way to turn the tide in its favor in any of them, while Vegas did. Most tellingly in the overtime games, the Golden Knights got goals from depth players; Ivan Barbashev scored in Game 4 and fourth-liner Brett Howden in Game 5. In its past three series, the Wild have taken a 2-1 series lead. In each, it never won another game.
4. No punch from the blue line
Not only did the Wild struggle to find a quarterback for the power play, they couldn't generate offense from their defensemen at even strength.
As the series progressed, Vegas adjusted its defense, giving the Wild more low-to-high opportunities while taking away the front of the net. The Wild could not exploit the opening consistently.
They got one goal from a defenseman during the series, by Spurgeon. The seven defensemen who played in the series combined for six points and 32 shots on goal.
Contrast that with the Golden Knights, who got four goals, 15 points and 61 shots on goal from their six defensemen that played in the series. Shea Theodore, who scored the first goal of Game 6, outscored the entire Wild defense corps with two goals.
5. Lost advantage
Early in the series the Wild had a decided advantage in using its top line of Boldy, Kaprizov and Joel Eriksson Ek to go head-to-head against various iterations of the Eichel line. Boldy and Kaprizov combined for eight goals during the first three games, while Eichel and Mark Stone were held without a point. Eichel was a minus-5.
Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy scrambled the lines in Game 4 as the Golden Knights chased the lead before winning in overtime. He separated Eichel and Stone late in Game 4 and kept them apart for Game 5. In Game 6, he put Eichel, Stone and Karlsson together because of an injury to forward Pavel Dorofeyev.
The Wild never tried to get away from the matchup, not even in Game 6 with the last change. Eichel gave Vegas a 2-1 lead with a breakaway goal and was on the ice for all three goals in the game. Stone scored the game-winning goal in the third. Minnesota's top line did not score.
