Minnesota’s structure and discipline are driving a dominant stretch without chasing offense or opening themselves up.
ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Minnesota Wild (22-9-5) keeps winning, and it’s not because they’re trying to force games. During a seven-game winning streak and a 17-2-2 run over their last 21 games, they’ve stayed comfortable letting games come to them instead of chasing offense when things don’t open up right away.
That showed again Saturday against the Edmonton Oilers (17-13-6). The game stayed tight, the chances weren’t free-flowing, and the Wild never looked like they were trying to push something that wasn’t there. They stuck with their structure, stayed above pucks, and trusted that if they played long enough in the right areas, the chances would come.
Wild head coach John Hynes pointed to that mindset when talking about how the team has played lately.
“I think the guys really take pride in keeping the puck out of our net as well. They’re committed to play the structure. They know their jobs. They’re committed to it, and that’s really driven from them that you want to be able to score from good defense into offense. I think now that when you know that you have some firepower to score that you don’t have to chase it. You just keep playing the game the right way and you earn your opportunities and that’s what we’ve been doing as of late.”
That patience has become a theme during this stretch. Even when the Wild don’t score early or give up a push, they don’t open themselves up trying to respond right away. The game stays five-on-five, shifts stay clean, and the pressure builds gradually.
Matt Boldy sees it the same way, especially for lines that aren’t on the ice to trade chances.
“Yeah, it's good. I think we know the role we're in, and we embrace it. I think when we're playing that role well, we do get offense, and it can lead to frustration on the other team and stuff like that. And I think when we play good all over the ice and let the offense come to us, that's when we're playing at our best.”
That approach has made it harder for teams to get easy looks, and it’s also allowed the Wild to stay patient late in games. They don’t need to cheat for offense or create chaos to score. They’re willing to wait for the right play.
Boldy, 24, has 22 goals on the year. He and Kirill Kaprizov are the only two teammates in the NHL that have 20 or more goals. On Saturday Boldy's line was used as a shut down line against Connor McDavid, yet Boldy scored two goals.
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Veteran forward Ryan Hartman said the defensive side of the game has been just as important.
“Yeah, we’re scoring some more goals right now as of late, which helps, and obviously we’re still playing really good defensive hockey. Like I said, we’re making it hard for them to get to the net, blocking shots through the lineup, everybody. And, like I said, when they get through Gus and Wally have been great.”
It’s a big reason why the Wild have been able to keep this going even with lineup changes and different opponents. Nothing about their game has to change from night to night. They play the same way, stay within it, and let the results come.
Right now, that’s been enough.
During the Wild's seven-game winning streak, they have outscored their opponents 33-11. They are averaging 4.71 goals for per game and only allowing 1.57 goals against per game. They lead the league in both. Along with total goals for and fewest against.
The Wild also are 12-0-2 in their last 14 home games which is a franchise record.
Gustavsson summed it up best when asked about playing the league’s top teams and why these games look different.
“It’s such a fun challenge for the team,” he said. “In tight games, we really need to play our best. In other games we kind of got a head start and could kind of ride on the wave a little bit in those games. Now, today was all the way to the end, until we scored that empty net goal.”
That’s the difference right now. The Wild aren’t winning because they’re catching teams on bad nights or riding unsustainable stretches. They’re winning because they’re comfortable living in tight games and confident enough not to blink when nothing comes easy.
Seven straight wins.
A 17-2-2 run.
A 33-11 goal margin over the last seven.
A franchise-record stretch at home.
None of it feels rushed or fragile. This is a team that knows exactly who it is, how it wants to play, and how much patience it takes to break opponents who can’t wait. And when you watch them right now, you don’t just see wins piling up, you see a team that looks built to make other teams crack first.
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