Minnesota Wild Finding Chemistry During Latest Hot Streak
ST. PAUL, Minn. (WCCO) – Minnesota Wild head coach Bruce Boudreau may not like the word chemistry, but however you define it, it's a real factor in Minnesota's non-stop resurgence to the top of the Western Conference.
It's a long ways from the start of the playoffs in mid-April, which of course is after the Minnesota Twins start playing ball at Target Field again, but fans are going to come out here and enjoy the ride. There are many reasons why the Wild have become the talk of the NHL, and that's why they're winning.
You can feel it when you walk in the building, but right now the team ties to guard against the hype and stay focused on the task.
"We're pushing ourselves to get better each and every day and each and every game," captain Mikko Koivu said. "We want to continue to do that now that the second half of the season has started."
Maybe the key to this whole hot stretch for the Minnesota Wild is not knowing who is going to play well on a given night. It seems like there is a different star every night and a different line that steps up. And that's been good news for this team.
That's what seems to matter most, that it doesn't matter who steps up, and someone different seems to be in the limelight every night.
"I think it's been one of the biggest keys for our success so far. A lot of different lines on different nights are producing, and we all really hope we can keep doing that," Mikael Granlund said. "I think that's one of our biggest strengths right now."
Some of it has to do with lines and the consistency of playing with people you are comfortable with on the ice.
"I think overall it's a comfortability with this team and knowing that this team can perform whether they are down a couple goals or up a couple goals and still win games," Jason Zucker said.
But what matters most is, it's working.
"I think we've always been able to defend really well but now having more balanced scoring has helped us get on board," Jason Pominville said. "Score more goals and at the end of the day win more games."