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Blues Push Wild To The Brink |
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The Wild were pushed to the brink after last night's disappointing loss at home to the Blues.
What started with great promise sputtered once the lights came back up for the third period last night. Vladimir Tarasenko delivered the knockout punch and piled on with a natural hattrick in the final frame.
Kirill Kaprizov was simply spectacular as he has been throughout the first five games, scoring his sixth and seventh goals of the series. He was a human highlight reel and his second tally was jaw dropping. Kaprizov pick pocketed Colton Parayko to regain puck control and then finished with a backhand, forehand wrister to the top shelf.
Kaprizov's heroics had the XCEL Energy Center crowd whipped into a frenzy. The crowd was loud and and the energy was infectious.
Unfortunately for the Wild they could not capitalize on their numerous second period chances and then saw Brandon Saad, (one of their nemeses from playoffs past) take the life out of the buidling with his first goal of the series late in the middle period.
Tied up heading into the third, typically a good spot for the Wild who have been a tremendous third period club all season long, especially at home. Tarasenko and the Blues had other ideas and the game turned sour for the Wild and their fans very quickly, 1:03 of the third period to be exact.
So the questions start to fly from all angles.
Will Cam Talbot start game six?
What went wrong?
Where is the Fiala/Boldy duo?
Even heard some question Dean Evason being replaced?
There are many more questions for sure, but the one thing to keep in mind is most react to the immediate.
The Wild are far from finished in this series. They have won in St. Louis already and even the game that they lost they outplayed the Blues for a good majority.
Yes, they need to make adjustments to their game to get more puck ON the net. They missed so many Grade A chances simply by missing the mark. Their defensemen in the offensive zone have to make certain their shots get through to the net.
In the third period both Matt Dumba and Jon Merrill killed Wild scoring opportunities with blocked and deflected shots that were ill advised to begin with.
Too many missed shots for the Wild who really need to learn the sense of urgency. Kaprizov has it as does Marcus Foligno. They need to get the rest of the team to get on board quickly.
The hardest series to win in any playoff year is often the first round as no one wants to go home early after all the work they have put in over the course of a long season. Most players and former players will tell you that is indeed a fact.
The Wild have not been past the first round since 2015, but this is a different team. They are skilled and have the star power that can change a game. Game six is just another chapter in the process of the this Wild team.
Do I believe that Cam Talbot should get the nod? That is a great question, and one that I have thought about since Tarasenko's second goal of the third period last night. My initial thought was Cam, for sure. After digesting it further, I believe that Fleury is the guy to backstop the Wild into the next round.
Do I second guess, Dean Evason on some of his moves and coaching decisions? Of course that is what we do, however, he has been very good for this Wild team since taking the helm and getting the team to perform with tremendous results.
The one question that I have for Dean Evason, through the first five games of this series, does not concern who is playing goal or what players are in or out of the lineup. It is why did he not utilize his timeout in game four when the Wild got the 16 second, 2-man advantage, and they were down 3-1 at the time.
The top PP unit had played the first 1:44 of the initial powerplay and the timeout could have been used to get them back out on the ice for this critical situation. Evason, almost never uses his timeout late in games as he feels that it allows the opposition players to rest. That was evident last night when he elected not to use it with Fleury pulled.
All the cliches can be used but the bottom line is the Blues cashed in on their chances the Wild did not last night. They have the series lead and are heading home.
The Wild will be better tomorrow night and this series is coming back to the State of Hockey for an epic game seven.
Minnesota Wild Blogger • 
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