Matt Boldy stays hot, Wild end two-game skid with 3-0 victory at Seattle
The Wild learned Saturday they will be without Jonas Brodin, one of their best defensemen since he played his first full NHL seasons in 2013-14, for at least a week because of an upper body injury suffered Friday in Edmonton.
It’s the latest in a series of injuries to key contributors that has included at one time or another Jared Spurgeon, Matt Boldy, Alex Goligoski and Freddy Gaudreau but the first for head coach John Hynes, who replaced Dean Evason on Nov. 28.
“You’ve gotta find ways to win with the group you have,” Hynes told reporters before Sunday night’s game against the Seattle Kraken at Climate Pledge Arena.
Against a Seattle team that had lost seven in a row before Sunday’s 8 p.m. puck drop, the Wild had just enough to make that happen.
Matt Boldy scored his sixth goal in seven games, and rookie center Marco Rossi scored his ninth goal as the Wild beat the Kraken, 3-0, to end a two-game skid and finish a four-game, Pacific Division road trip 2-2.
“That was a long road trip, and to finish that with a win, it feels really good,” Rossi told Bally Sports North after the game.
Filip Gustavsson stopped 24 shots to win for the fourth time in six starts, and Joel Eriksson Ek added an empty-net goal — his 14th of the season — as Minnesota improved to 5-2 under Hynes.
Seattle had its seven-game winless streak extended to eight (0-6-2).
Boldy finished a rush that he started with a takeaway in his own zone, taking a pass from Kirill Kaprizov and skating it to the crease, where he faked right and scored into the left corner behind goaltender Joey Daccord at 7:14 of the first period.
The team’s continued at a standstill until Rossi scored on a one-timer after Mats Zucarello forced a turnover in the Kraken’s slot and it caromed to Rossi. His goal made it 2-0 with 7:45 remaining in the third period.
Brodin was injured Friday when he was drilled into the boards by Edmonton’s Evander Kane early in the third period of the Oilers’ 4-2 victory at Rogers Place. Brodin, who leads the Wild in ice time (23:59) and blocked shots (62), and is tied with Brock Faber for a team-high plus-7, is officially week to week.
“We knew we were going to miss a really good D. He was playing really good,” Rossi told Bally Sports North. “But everybody has to step up, and we did a good job today.”
Losing Brodin will be difficult, “for sure,” Hynes said, but the coach added, “I think it gives other guys opportunities to do it. Jonas did play well in my time with him, but I think in general he’s one of the best defensemen in the league.
“But I think it’s important that our mindset has to be the group that plays the game, that’s the group that’s got to find a way to win.”
Zach Bogosian returned from a four-game absence and played on a pairing with Jon Merrill. Jake Middleton took Brodin’s spot alongside Faber, and Alex Goligoski played with Jared Spurgeon.
Hynes also tweaked his top two lines by separating Kirill Kaprizov and Zuccarello, putting Eriksson Ek between Kaprizov and Boldy, and putting Rossi between Zucarello and Marcus Johansson.
The Wild were 3 for 3 on the penalty kill, improving to 20 for 23 since the coaching change.
“It’s huge for us to get that .500 record on the road,” Gustavsson told Bally Sports North.
The Wild return to the ice against the Calgary Flames, a team they beat 5-2 to start this trip, on Thursday at Xcel Energy Center.
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