The numbers don’t lie, although Minnesota Wild fans likely wish that they did.

Heading into Saturday’s meeting with the Flyers, Minnesota’s penalty kill percentage was 30th out of 32 teams in the NHL, and having given up a pair of man-advantage goals in their previous two games, John Hynes admitted it’s an area that needs work.

Speaking to the media following the team’s Friday afternoon practice, Hynes offered a simple solution to the problem that he has stressed to his team: stay out of the penalty box.

“I think some of the penalties we’ve taken, they’re reaching penalties. We’re not skating, we’re not checking with our feet,” Hynes said. “Hooks, trips, those types of things. What zones they’re in are important. So, that’s an area that we’ve got to clean up, for sure.”

While he didn’t single out any individuals, it’s worth noting that top-line forward Matt Boldy earned a cumulative eight minutes in penalties during the games at Utah and at home versus Edmonton.

Comings and goings

The injury bug struck Wild forward Yakov Trenin, who was scratched due to an upper body injury on Saturday. It was the first game missed this season by Trenin, who had a slow start to his time in Minnesota after signing a $3.5 million free agent pact over the summer, although he had goals in back-to-back games at Anaheim and at Los Angeles last week.

Newly-acquired defenseman Travis Dermott, claimed off waivers from Edmonton on Friday, made it to the Twin Cities in time for Saturday’s game and warmed up with the team but was a healthy scratch with Jonas Brodin returning to the lineup.

State of Hockey history vs. Philly

The Flyers first-ever visit to Xcel Energy Center was also the Wild’s first home game in their inaugural season. On Oct. 11, 2000, the Flyers and Wild christened the expansion franchise and their new home rink, skating to a 3-3 tie before a sellout audience. Former Minnesota Mr. Hockey winner and Gophers star Darby Hendrickson scored the first Wild goal in the rink.

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