The Minnesota Wild's road trip came crashing down in Montreal last night as the Canadiens edged them out 4-3 in a thrilling match that saw both teams give it their all.
At times, the Wild appeared exhausted, struggling to find their footing early on. The Canadiens pounced, outshooting the visitors 7-1 before the first period was even halfway over. But the Wild refused to go down without a fight, and Brock Faber's goal midway through the period gave Minnesota its first lead of the game.
The momentum shifted again in the second period when Faber's teammate Vladimir Tarasenko scored his fourth goal of the road trip, putting the Wild up 3-2. However, the Canadiens soon took control once more, with a goal from Lane Hutson sending them ahead 3-2 heading into the final frame.
The Wild had one last chance to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat when the Canadiens were sent to the penalty box for consecutive infractions, giving Minnesota five on four power plays. But Cole Caufield's late strike sealed the win for Montreal with just 15 seconds remaining in the game.
Despite the loss, the Wild's goalie Jesper Wallstedt was instrumental in keeping them in the game, making 29 saves between the pipes. "Wally played great," said Faber after the match. "He kept us in it all night."
Minnesota will be back in St. Paul for their next four games, and the team's coach John Hynes acknowledged that his side struggled to find consistency on the road trip. However, he also praised his team's resilience, saying they weathered a storm of shooting and eventually simplified the game to get themselves back into it.
Tarasenko echoed Faber's sentiments after the match, saying "some nights you lose a game, but you have to take the lessons from this game and move on." The Wild will need to regroup and refocus if they are to make up for lost ground in their bid for a playoff spot.
At times, the Wild appeared exhausted, struggling to find their footing early on. The Canadiens pounced, outshooting the visitors 7-1 before the first period was even halfway over. But the Wild refused to go down without a fight, and Brock Faber's goal midway through the period gave Minnesota its first lead of the game.
The momentum shifted again in the second period when Faber's teammate Vladimir Tarasenko scored his fourth goal of the road trip, putting the Wild up 3-2. However, the Canadiens soon took control once more, with a goal from Lane Hutson sending them ahead 3-2 heading into the final frame.
The Wild had one last chance to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat when the Canadiens were sent to the penalty box for consecutive infractions, giving Minnesota five on four power plays. But Cole Caufield's late strike sealed the win for Montreal with just 15 seconds remaining in the game.
Despite the loss, the Wild's goalie Jesper Wallstedt was instrumental in keeping them in the game, making 29 saves between the pipes. "Wally played great," said Faber after the match. "He kept us in it all night."
Minnesota will be back in St. Paul for their next four games, and the team's coach John Hynes acknowledged that his side struggled to find consistency on the road trip. However, he also praised his team's resilience, saying they weathered a storm of shooting and eventually simplified the game to get themselves back into it.
Tarasenko echoed Faber's sentiments after the match, saying "some nights you lose a game, but you have to take the lessons from this game and move on." The Wild will need to regroup and refocus if they are to make up for lost ground in their bid for a playoff spot.
i was on the edge of my seat the whole time watching from my couch with my squad online 
we were all rooting for the Wild, but honestly, Montreal played some crazy hockey 
and I mean cole caufield's goal at the end was wild lol what a sick shot 
i'm still trying to process how Jesper Wallstedt managed to save 29 shots in that game wow that's insane 
and tarasenko's fourth goal of the road trip was literally the highlight reel moment 
anyway, i'm already thinking about who we can root for next 
I'm so confused about the power plays situation... like, why would you send someone to the penalty box twice when you have a 5-on-4 advantage? 
Shouldn't that be a huge scoring opportunity? 
And what's up with Cole Caufield's goal being scored just before the buzzer? Like, didn't they know they were going to lose or something? 
that match was!!! I was literally on the edge of my seat when Faber scored that goal 
, felt like the whole arena erupted! And then Tarasenko follows up with another one, thought for sure they'd take it from there 
. But those Canadiens just wouldn't give up 
.
️, made so many crucial saves to keep them in it all night! The Wild's coach John Hynes gave credit where it was due, and I love how Tarasenko was already thinking about what they can learn from this game 
. They'll definitely need to regroup and refocus if they wanna catch up with those playoff spots 
. Fingers crossed for them next time out! 
️
I don't know about that Wild team... seemed like they were all over the place out there 
. One minute they're up by 1, next minute they're down by 2... it's like they're stuck in neutral 
.
, he saved them from losing that game for sure.
. The Wild played so hard and still came up short. I guess you just can't win 'em all? They'll regroup and come back stronger in St. Paul next week 
... they were so exhausted looking like zombies out there, but wally kept them in it for ages 
29 saves is no joke! and tarasenko's goal was huge for them, got them up to 3-2. but cole caufield's last minute goal was just brutal 
faber and tarasenko said some wise words about moving on & taking lessons from this game 
plus wally keeping it a game even when things were looking bleak is just amazing 
if they can bring that to their next games, we might see some magic happen 
tarasenko's right, though - they gotta take the good and bad, learn from it and move on 
, I was watching it live at my friend's place and we were all on the edge of our seats when Tarasenko scored that 4th goal of the road trip lol his shot is so sick 
I know what you mean about the Wild struggling to find consistency on the road trip though, I've been following them all season and it's like they're still finding their groove 
5 on 4 is not exactly the kind of situation you want your goalie to be facing, especially when it's been going on back-to-back infractions. I mean, come on guys! Get a grip! 
Anyway, gotta give credit where credit is due - Jesper Wallstedt was on fire! 29 saves and all that. But the Wild's road trip was just so... meh. They need to figure out what's going on with consistency, you know? And these power plays are just not their thing right now. Maybe they can regroup back in St. Paul and get it together for the next few games. Fingers crossed! 