The Wild got the game's first goal for the first time in their last 5 games and are 2-1-0 this year when scoring the first goal. Minnesota looked like they were going to keep the momentum up after two penalties by the Capitals.
But after not converting on the first power play, the Wild got another one following Anthony Mantha's tripping penalty. The Wild failed to convert on the power play and let up a shorthanded goal to Tom Wilson.
The Wild's power play wasn't very good tonight but that isn't the only takeaway from the game. Here are three takeaway's from tonight game.
1.)Marco Rossi's best game
After a lot of controversy last year by Wild fans calling Marco Rossi a bust for only putting up only one assist in 19 games last year, Rossi has come into this year as a much better player and has quickly silenced Wild fans.
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The 2020 ninth overall pick, got the Wild on the board early which is something they have only done four times this season. It came after Calen Addison sent a pass to Marcus Johansson who later fed Marcus Foligno across the ice along the boards.
Foligno slid the puck to Rossi in the center of the neutral zone and the speedy 22-year old flew into the offensive zone before shooting a puck over Darcy Kuemper's glove.
It wasn't just the goal though, Rossi was trying to set up plays and create them himself. He also led the team in successful zone entries.
2.)Power play in a funk
Coming into the game the Wild were unsuccessful on their last 12 power play chances across four games. Tonight, they added to that after going 0/5 in the game.
The best power plays in the league move around and try to create plays while causing the defenders to move out of position. Through this funk for the Wild it seems like all Minnesota is doing is standing in their 1-3-1 structure and waiting for the opposing team to allow passing lanes to open up.
Take the Oilers for example, they run the same structure a 1-3-1 but Connor McDavid doesn't just stand on the left flank and set up plays from one spot, he moves around from left flank to right and cycles pucks.
Minnesota on the other hand looks to be waiting for passing lanes to open before they make a pass for a scoring chance rather than creating that passing lane by causing the defenders to lose positioning. It's frustrating and a reason why the Wild are now 0/17 in their last five games.
3.) Rethink the dump-in's
I understand the dump-in play and what it brings to the game. It's highly effective, if done correctly. Through two periods of play tonight the Wild dumped the puck into the Capitals zone and came out with the puck only one time out of ten.
The only time they came out with the puck, Pat Maroon picked up an interference penalty which allowed Joel Eriksson Ek to come up with the puck. Just to clarify, I did not track dump-in's that resulted in the Wild going for a change, I only tracked dump-in's that the entire five Wild skaters stayed on the ice for.
You don't have to stop the dump-in's but just rethink how you dump it in. Ringing the puck along the boards usually doesn't result in you regaining possession, same with a soft chip into the corner.
At the end of the day, failed dump-in's aren't going to loose you a game but it is a big part of the game and something the Wild didn't do a good job of tonight.