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We're a little over a third of the way into the NHL season — a sample size small enough that we can't draw hard conclusions but large enough that we have useful information.
Plenty of questions remain about the Wild and the league as a whole. How will a rise in COVID cases impact the rest of the year? Will the NHL still send players to the Olympics? And locally, just how good is this Wild team that a few days ago had the best record in the NHL?
I got to the heart of that last question on Thursday's Daily Delivery podcast with Star Tribune beat writer Sarah McLellan. The team's strong play so far has been fueled by star power (Kirill Kaprizov), resilience and quality lineup depth.
When a team has played this well into this part of the season, it allows some bigger picture thinking. If we judge the Wild to be on the path to the playoffs, what are some areas they might seek to improve either internally or externally to enhance their chances of a deep run?
McLellan identified two of them:
*Special teams: Despite being one of the top overall scoring teams in the league, the Wild ranked just 23rd in the league on the power play (17.4%) heading into Thursday. That mark and rank are similar to last season, and the struggles showed up in the playoffs, where the Wild scored just two power play goals in losing to Vegas in seven games.
The Wild's penalty kill has been decent (No. 13 entering Thursday), but considering the Wild has drawn the third-most power plays and is tied atop the league in most power plays allowed, this is a key area to shore up before the playoffs.
*Faceoffs: The Wild ranks No. 24 in the league in faceoff percentage (48.1%). While faceoff margins are slim, the ability to win key draws is magnified in the playoffs.
Adding a faceoff specialist and a special teams ace — perhaps the same player — should be possible before the March 21 trade deadline given the Wild has a few million dollars to work with in cap space.
For a team that already has a lot going for it, small improvements could make a big playoff difference.
