CALGARY, ALBERTA – With its once NHL-best penalty kill having plummeted to 14th in the league, the Wild had a meeting Thursday to "reset" before hitting the Saddledome ice with the intention of patching up the leaks.
In the pre-practice video session, the staff showed players clips of the first 10 games of what they were doing well.
"It's sort of gotten away from us," coach Bruce Boudreau said. "Some guys, over time, if you don't practice it, then you get loose at it."
In the first 10 games, the Wild's kill was 26-for-27 for a league-best 96.3 percent. In the past 12 games, the Wild's kill is 27-for-37, dousing just 72.9 percent of opposing power plays. On the current road trip entering Friday's game vs. the Flames, the St. Louis Blues scored a go-ahead goal in the third period with a power-play goal during a shootout win and the Vancouver Canucks scored two power-play goals less than two minutes apart to turn a 2-0 deficit into a 2-2 tie before beating the Wild 5-4 on Tuesday.
"Our ability to make teams have to dump it and not set up with possession carrying it in is huge," center Eric Staal said. "If you can continually have teams go back and forth going up and down the ice trying to break in, that's a big thing.
"I thought we were really, really good at that the first 10, 11 games using a lot of bodies and rolling over shifts and not letting teams set up. Once teams set up, guys can make plays."
Players say it's as simple as outworking power plays again, having a strong neutral-zone forecheck and clearing pucks 200 feet.
"You have a chance to clear it, it's got to go 200," center Erik Haula said. "Otherwise it's always one out of three at least that end up in the back of the net. You always get that [bad] feeling watching from the bench when you don't get a clear and it stays in the zone."
Haula said that early in the season guys were on the same page and working together. Now, there's a lot of guessing.
"So today was back to basics," Haula said.
The Flames have the NHL's worst power play, so perhaps they can provide the tonic.
"It's not any magic recipe that we need to change," goalie Devan Dubnyk said. "I just think we have to sharpen up a little bit."
Could be trouble
Maybe worried the Flames might seek retribution after star Johnny Gaudreau was sidelined with a broken finger following a slash in last month's meeting with Minnesota, the Wild recalled bruiser Kurtis Gabriel from AHL Iowa.
The Flames lead the NHL in times shorthanded (97) and have the third-worst penalty kill in the league (77.3 percent).
"Look it, the Gaudreau injury, if you watch hockey, it was an accident," Boudreau said. "If you play hockey, you know the gloves are made out of nothing now. Everybody gets touched. It was Eric Staal. Eric Staal, what was the most penalty minutes he's ever got in a year? If you think he's a dirty player that's going for Gaudreau's hand, then we're all mistaken."
Flames blogs found what they alleged were 21 examples of the Wild slashing Gaudreau. Three in particular — two by Staal, one by Ryan Suter — seemed to hurt Gaudreau.
"I think it was a crazy allegation by them, but at the same time, you never know what's going to happen," said Boudreau, referring to why Gabriel was recalled.
Staal said he's not worried.
"You play the game the same way every time regardless of circumstances," he said. "We'll be prepared to go and try to get the two points because that's the most important thing."
Suter said the Wild didn't target Gaudreau.
"Honestly, he's so quick and gets away from you so quick that you're trying to tap him on the stick just to throw him off," Suter said. "That's part of the game."
