Minnesota Wild vs. St. Louis Blues Recap

🏆 Final Score🏆
Minnesota Wild 1 – St. Louis Blues 5

💬 Water Cooler One-Liner:

The Wild’s offensive struggles continued as they managed just 18 shots in a 5-1 loss to the Blues.

📊 Quick Hits – Game at a Glance:

• Winner: Jordan Kyrou (Hat trick leads Blues to dominant victory)

• Turning Point: Back-to-back St. Louis goals in the second period buried the Wild.

• Standout Stat: The Wild registered just one takeaway in the entire game.

• Goaltending Anchor: Filip Gustavsson made 22 saves but was left hanging by a sloppy defense.

🔑 3 Key Takeaways:

1️⃣ Offensive Drought Continues: The Wild have now scored two or fewer goals in five straight games, struggling to find the back of the net despite good offensive zone time.

2️⃣ Faceoff Troubles: St. Louis dominated the faceoff circle, winning 60.8% of draws, limiting Wild possession time.

3️⃣ Defensive Leaks: The Wild defense was out of sync, allowing five goals, including a wraparound by Kyrou that put the game out of reach.

⭐ Three Stars of the Game:

1. ⭐ J. Kyrou (STL • Forward): Hat trick performance led the way for the Blues.

2. ⭐ B. Schenn (STL • Forward): 1 goal, 1 assist, key playmaker.

3. ⭐ C. Fowler (STL • Defenseman): 0 goals, 2 assists, key playmaker on both ends of the ice.

📊 By The Numbers:

• Shots on Goal: Wild 18 – Blues 27
• Face-off %: Wild 39.2% – Blues 60.8%
• Power Play: Wild 0% (0/1) – Blues 0% (0/2)
• Penalty Minutes: Wild 4 – Blues 2
• Hits: Wild 19 – Blues 17
• Blocked Shots: Wild 19 – Blues 19
• Giveaways: Wild 14 – Blues 20
• Takeaways: Wild 5 – Blues 1

📰 Around the Team:

• Kaprizov Watch: Still sidelined, no clear return date.

• Middleton’s Silver Lining: Notched his career-high 8th goal of the season.

• Defensive Shake-up Coming? Coach John Hynes may adjust pairings after a rough night.

🎯 Stat Spotlight:

• One Goal in Five Games: The Wild have now been held under three goals in nine of their last ten games.

• Faceoff Struggles: Winning under 40% of draws significantly limited possession time.

• Missed Opportunities: The Wild had 20 shots blocked and 19 missed shots, failing to put enough pressure on Hofer.

🗓️ Next Up:
• Opponent: Los Angeles Kings
• Date: March 17, 2025
• Time: 7:00 PM CST
• Where to Watch: FanDuel

📬 Final Whistle:

The Wild are officially in a scoring slump, and time is running out to fix it. With the playoff race tightening, a rebound effort against the Kings is crucial. Stay locked in with Wild Hockey Insider for the latest updates!