The Minnesota Wild (8-10-4) have reeled off three wins in a row under new head coach John Hynes after losing seven straight games from Nov. 9-26.
The Wild are 3-0 since Hynes replaced Dean Evason and have outscored opponents 13-3 in the process. Everything has seemingly come together and clicked for what looks like a completely different team.
Even better is the fact that all three wins came against Central Division foes. The Wild started their week with a 3-1 win over the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday and followed that up with a 6-1 victory in Nashville against the Predators on Thursday and a 4-1 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday afternoon.
“It’s really been a good week, and I think today it was just continuing to hammer home the way we want to play,” Hynes said Sunday postgame. … “So, it was nice that we could put, for the most part, three pretty complete games together.”
The Wild are playing their best five-on-five hockey of the season.
For starters, they’ve outscored opponents 9-2, the highest goal share in the NHL since Tuesday. The Wild have also controlled 57 percent of the Corsi share and 60 percent of the expected goal share, which ranks sixth and fourth, respectively, league-wide since Tuesday.
During this span, the Wild’s defense has been top notch, allowing just 1.88 expected goals against per 60, which is tied for second in the NHL. Furthermore, their .963 save percentage ranks second.
“It's definitely night and day,” Brock Faber said Sunday of the team’s confidence. “I think going on this trip we're confident, but again, three wins is good for us. It's a step in the right direction, but we're still below .500 here.
“So, we know we have to keep getting better, trust the process and keep playing this way and keep building.”
Added Marco Rossi: “Our confidence right now is really good as a team. We won three in a row. We just try to get better every day.
“The road trip is a good test for us.”
The Wild’s four-game road trip this week will be a test indeed — but also an opportunity. The Wild remain seventh in the Central but are within seven points of the Blues, who hold the second Wild Card spot at 27 points.
The Wild face the Calgary Flames (10-11-3) tonight, Vancouver Canucks (16-8-1) on Thursday, Edmonton Oilers (9-12-1) on Friday and Seattle Kraken (8-12-6) on Sunday before returning home with three days off.
All data via Natural Stat Trick