After 28 games, the Minnesota Wild currently sit atop the standings and boast the best record in the league: 19-5-4. This gives them 42 points, which technically ties them with the Winnipeg Jets, but the Wild have two games in hand, and a .750 points percentage against Winnipeg’s .700.
The Wild weren’t expected to be this good. In fact, moneypuck.com saw them as a fringe playoff team, and they were given a 54.8% chance of making the playoffs.
So, how did we get here?
Here are the four biggest reasons for their success:
Kirill Kaprizov
Kirill “the thrill” Kaprizov is putting together a Hart Trophy-level season. Kaprizov leads the Minnesota Wild with 43 points, 15 points clear of the team’s second-leading scorer, Matt Boldy.. Kapriozov is tied for the second-most points in the league with Martin Necas of the Carolina Hurricanes, behind only Nathan MacKinnon of the Colorado Avalanche. His 18 goals are tied for third in the league, behind only Leon Draisaitl of the Edmonton Oilers and Sam Reinhart of the Florida Panthers.
Goaltending
The Minnesota Wild currently have the best team goaltending stats in the league, with a .923 average SV%. Starting goaltender Filip Gustavsson– named to Team Sweden’s roster in the 4-Nations Face Off– has been one of the best goalies in the league this season. He’s played 21 games, and has a .927 SV%, which is tied with Connor Hellebuyck of the Winnipeg Jets for best in the league. Gustavsson’s 2.08 GAA is the best in the league. Should he continue this level of play, Gustavsson could very well be a finalist for the Vezina Trophy.
Veteran goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, who plans to retire after the 2024-25 season, is also putting up solid numbers. He has a .910 SV% and a 2.56 GAA in seven games played this season.
Two-way game
The Wild have scored 90 goals through 28 games this season, which is good for 11th in the league. They’ve allowed just 67 goals against, which is best in the league. This gives them a +23 goal differential, which is third in the league.
So, what does all that mean? They’re playing balanced hockey. They’re not sacrificing defense to create offense, and they’re not lacking offensively. The Wild are a well-rounded, well-oiled machine.
Next man up
First line center Joel Eriksson Ek has missed the past three games with a lower-body injury, but 23 year old Marco Rossi has done quite well in Eriksson Ek’s absence. Rossi was the ninth overall pick in the 2020 draft, and has 24 points through 28 games. In the three games Eriksson Ek has missed, Rossi has three goals– including one game winning goal– and an assist.
