The Minnesota Wild defeated the Anaheim Ducks in a 3-2 win Wednesday night, wrapping up their two-game series.
Breakdown of Wednesday’s Game
In the Wild’s 3-2 win against the Ducks, Jared Spurgeon scored two goals and Nico Sturm scored what was the tiebreaker of the game.
The Wild’s win was very meaningful. The team earned their 10th straight win at home. They improved their record to 20-10-1 for a total of 41 points.
Along with that, Cam Talbot made a total of 28 saves in Wednesday night’s matchup.
In addition, Ryan Suter made two assists, making him the fifth active NHL defenseman to earn 600 points in his career.
The Wild definitely made an important comeback during the game. Even though they were only trailing by a single goal, all mistakes would be costly and a loss would slightly push the team backwards.
While the Wild has done their part to win games this season, it seems as if the Ducks are on the opposite side of this.
The Ducks have lost seven of their last eight games. Their OT loss to the Wild just made matters worse. During the game, Derek Grant and Max Comtois each put their team on the board.
In addition to the team’s recent struggles, the Ducks have also been forced to make a goalkeeper change. This is due to the fact that John Gibson has been out with a lower-body injury for the fifth game. Ryan Miller has stepped in to replace Gibson.
Mille made 23 saves during the Ducks’ loss to the Wild.
Other recent struggles the team has faced is COVID problems. The Ducks placed four players on protocol Tuesday. So, the team were left without key players, including Ben Hutton, Jacob Larsson, Anthony Stolarz and Danton Heinen.
On the other hand, the Wild placed Zach Parise on the COVID Protocol list andJoseph Cramarossa was recalled from the taxi sqaud to replace him.
Coming Up Next for Each Team
The Wild have their work cut out for them. They take on the St. Louis Blues, who will certainly be hungry for a win.
The Blues sit underneath the Wild, ranking fourth in the West Division. In addition, the Blues have a record of 16-11-5.
Of course, the Blues may not be the best team in the league, but they certainly should not be taken lightly.
April is coming quickly, meaning the season is coming to a close. This means that the Blues will be a little more desperate to keep their playoff hopes alive.
This partially applies to the Anaheim Ducks, who hold a 9-19-6 record and sit at the very bottom of the West Division with 24 ponts.
Unfortunately for the Ducks, the door to the playoffs is closing quickly. If they want to squeeze in an opportunity to go to the playoffs, they will need to win almost every (if not all) games remaining on the schedule.
That is a tall order, but it is necessary for a team who is struggling and sits at the very bottom of their divison.
The Ducks take on the Blues the day after the Wild do. They have an opportunity to go to the playoffs, but it will be hard work for them.
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