Matt Boldy's Slow Goal Scoring Start Could Allow The Wild To Hit Another Level

By no means has Matt Boldy been playing poorly this season, but the simple fact is the pucks aren't bouncing his way. 

Through 16 games, the 25-year-old has notched six goals and 14 points, on pace to finish the season with 32 goals and 74 points in 84 games. While this would still be a solid season for Boldy, we've come to expect more from him.

His goal-scoring pace could improve drastically because, aside from his shooting percentage, every other statistic suggests he is playing at a high level. His shooting percentage is currently just 8.8 percent, the worst of his career. 

Yet, Boldy currently leads the league in shots on goal with 68. That’s 4.25 shots on goal per game. And it's not like Boldy is just throwing the puck at the net from anywhere. He ranks in the 92nd percentile in shots from high-danger zones and the 99th percentile in shots from the mid-range, according to NHL EDGE. 

Boldy's percentiles at each shot location are roughly the same as, if not better than, last season, when he posted a career-high 42 goals. His shooting percentage is almost guaranteed to improve, and as it does, the Minnesota Wild will become a more dangerous team. 

Despite the puck not bouncing his way, Boldy has still positively affected the game. According to naturalstattrick.com, Boldy owns a Corsi For percentage of 60.58 percent and an expected goals percentage of 66.03 percent at 5-on-5. The Wild have outscored their opponents 16-3 with Boldy on the ice. 

He's been a key part of the Wild's top line, arguably the best in the NHL. According to moneypuck.com, the Wild's trio ranks third in the NHL in expected goals for lines that have played at least 100 minutes together. They trail just the Montreal Canadiens' third line of Alexandre Texier, Phillip Danault, and Zach Bolduc and the New Jersey Devils' top line of Jesper Bratt, Jack Hughes, and Arseny Gritsyuk.

Everything at 5-on-5 suggests Boldy is still playing at the same level, if not better, than in recent years. But his power-play efficiency has been way down. 

The 12th overall pick of the 2019 draft has recorded just one goal and two assists on the power play. His shooting percentage is a woeful 5.29 percent. His shots on goal are as high as ever, but the puck is being stopped more often than ever. 

The only thing for Boldy to do at the moment is to keep pushing. Nothing in his game needs to change. Once the puck starts finding twine, everything will be back to normal, and the Wild will be better off for it. 

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