Dan Wallace: "Grit First" Is Put To The Test

Last year the Wild lost the special teams battle to the Blues and this year it’s the same story. They needed to address that but didn’t. There is always a Glendenning or Paul Stastny type that can be acquired at the TDL to help with face offs which become magnified in the playoffs on special teams.

They can’t kill penalties so put some other guys killing penalties like Sundqvist or move Walker in. Or how about not taking penalties. They’ve been better 5x5 so trust your goalie to come up big like Dallas does. Play gritty but you don’t have to blow guys up like Foligno and Dumba do giving the refs the leeway to call a penalty whether it is one or not.

Fix the damn power play. Enough with the passing around the perimeter. Shoot the puck. Make some plays from behind the net or below the goal line and crash the net. Sundqvist has the size to do that. Oettinger shouldn’t be getting clear vision on shots from the point. Make his life difficult. His job has been too easy with their one chance and out offense.

The Wild have the edge in a penalty free game. They can play a gritty game taking away time and space without going to the box. There is no correlation between taking penalties and playing good defense.

Very valid points made, especially on the PP. If anyone has been watching the other playoff games, several goals are being scored on wrist shots from the point. Just get the puck to the net!
There was exciting being up 2-1 in the series and there still be exciting. Just need one win at home tomorrow because we all know anything can happen in game 7. Just one win.

If Wild had just outbid Leafs for Acciari and O'Reilly their probably in the second round already.

If Wild had just outbid Leafs for Acciari and O'Reilly their probably in the second round already.
- Antilles

Great examples. Even one makes a big difference. Maybe they would have had to overpay for ROR but Acciardi would have been reasonable and that near 54% FO wins is miles better than anyone they have.