The Minnesota Wild's slow start this year featured many culprits, but arguably the most troubling issue was their sluggish starts and first-period woes.
The numbers reflected just that.
The Wild had trailed for 479 minutes and 48 seconds through 15 games and Nov. 17. Only the Sharks at 509:46 had been down longer to that point.
At that point, the Wild had been outscored 25-14 in the first period and had only scored the first goal in a game in two of their past 12 after scoring first in the opening three games of the season. Those 25 first-period goals against led the NHL.
The Wild were 5-8-2 at that point on Nov. 17, but eventually lost their next four games. That included a 4-1 loss in Detroit on Nov. 26, which extended the Wild’s losing streak to seven games.
The next day, at 5-10-4, the Wild fired Dean Evason and hired John Hynes as the seventh coach in franchise history.
The Wild's lack of energy and urgency in the first period — a major culprit in their early season struggles — has disappeared under Hynes.
Since Hynes took over, the Wild have won four in a row and look more like themselves. They've put together their most complete games this season and have found success in all situations.
“It’s really been a good week," Hynes said after Sunday's win, "and I think today it was just continuing to hammer home the way we want to play…so it was nice that we could put, for the most part, three pretty complete games together.”
The Wild, who are now 9-10-4, have scored first in each game and have outscored the opposition 9-1 in the first period during this season long four-game winning streak —which is a huge reason why they've found success.
Since Nov. 17, the Wild have dropped down to eighth in minutes trailed at 580:38. Their faster starts and higher emphasis on speed has helped them put together four solid games in a row.
"They were ready to play the game," Hynes told the media after Tuesday's win. "We were fast, we were tenacious, we're sticking to the identity we want to play with. It's enjoyable to coach and I give the players a lot of credit."
The Wild aim to win their fifth game in a row Thursday night in Vancouver.
All data via Natural Stat Trick