The Wild's penalty kill needs to be better if they want to have more success as the season goes on. Frustration continues to mount for the Wild as they enter tonight's game dropping six of their last seven. [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjAxOTc2NTM0NjM2OTYzMzM1/usatsi_21802849.jpg] Frustration continues to mount for the Wild as they enter tonight's game dropping six of their last seven. There is no sugar coating this, the Wild have lost four straight games and six of their last seven. They have been bad, real bad. They have allowed two less goals than the San Jose Sharks who are winless in ten games. The Wild have the worst penalty kill in the league and are converting at a 63.6 percent clip. They also rank fourth in the NHL in shots allowed, which is not helping their leagues worst goaltending. They also have the fourth worst face-off percentage in the league as well. But the Wild have also battled a lot of injuries this to start the season. Jared Spurgeon and Alex Goligoksi are both on LTIR, although Spurgeon will likely play soon, Freddy Guadreau is hurt and hasn't been practicing, and Matt Boldy just returned to the lineup after missing seven games. "It doesn't matter," Wild coach Dean Evason said after practice yesterday. "Who cares that Spurgeon and whoever else is out. Who cares? It doesn't matter. The New Jersey Devils didn't give a crap that Spurgeon was not in the lineup so why do we care? There are 20 guys who dress every night, you play your ass off or you're not going to have success." Minnesota Wild team card as of Nov 1st. [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjAxOTc2NzAwNzk4NTEwNTk5/screenshot-2023-11-04-at-90253am.png] Minnesota Wild team card as of Nov 1st. Minnesota is generating chances though, as you can see by the graphic. They are a top ten team in scoring goals and finishing on their chances but they just can't keep the puck out of their own net and that's what is hurting them. The players know they need to turn this around. A lot of it comes from getting back to the basics. Learning to play a simple game and not overdoing it. Get pucks out of the zone, enter the zone with confidence, and clean up their neutral zone play. "Clean up the neutral zone and being a faster team to play against," Wild forward Vinni Lettieri said on what needs to change. "When they try to regroup up, we are trying to shove it down their throat, get them back in the defensive zone, and start forechecking. Some of our best periods are when we are forechecking like crazy and getting those second chances, that's a big strong suit for our game. It starts in the neutral zone for us." A ton of changes will be made before tonight's game with different line combinations, different looks on the power play, and new style of play on the penalty kill. But the Wild need to correct their slow start sooner before the season starts slipping away from them. Luckily for them, the Wild have only played ten games in a long 82 game season. "Listen, none of us are happy," Evason said. "The players aren't happy, it's not just the coaching staff or management. The players are pissed off too and hopefully they are pissed off when the pucks dropped." REQUIRED READING
