Minnesota Wild's Vast Improvement Will Make for Classic Series with Blackhawks

The Minnesota Wild aren’t a new foe for the Chicago Blackhawks. The ‘Hawks successfully dispatched the Wild in five contests in the first round en route to a Stanley Cup win in 2013; they met them again in the second round in 2014 and that time prevailed over a six-game series.

A quick glance at the box score from Game 1 of this year's meeting between the two teams might suggest history is about to repeat itself. Chicago skated to a 4-3 victory on Friday.

But according to Chicago head coach Joel Quenneville, this year’s edition of the Wild is superior to either of those that the Blackhawks have beaten over the last two seasons. He marveled at the speed of the game to NBC commentator Pierre McGuire:

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This is fast. They’re fast, they’re quick, there’s not a lot of time and you’ve got to take advantage of your own speed. You’ve got to make their D turn and it’s an active group against you but it’s certainly a lot quicker… I think they’ve improved over the last two years. They’re a little deeper and they’ve got talent on almost every line that can score.

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That improvement was firmly in evidence, despite Chicago’s Game 1 win, and it’s the critical ingredient that has this series shaping up to be a real classic.

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The Blackhawks jumped out to an early lead. They racked up three unanswered goals in the first period; on two of them they victimized Ryan Suter, the cornerstone of Minnesota's defence. The Wild went into the intermission down 3-0 to a team that has beaten them in consecutive series, and it would have been easy for them to fold.

They didn’t. The Wild answered in kind, ripping three goals past Chicago goaltender Corey Crawford in the first 10 minutes of the period. Crawford, who has been shaky in these playoffs, wasn’t to blame on the goals. Rather, the Blackhawks had critical defensive breakdowns. Notably, Minnesota showed the ability to make Duncan Keith look every bit as fallible as Suter had in the first period, capitalizing on a defensive error by the Chicago star on its second goal and eating up a turnover on its third.

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Quenneville called a timeout after the Wild tied the game at three a little over halfway through the second frame. It was a wise decision and allowed his team to regroup. Chicago surrendered eight good scoring chances in the second period; all of them came before Quenneville’s timeout.

After that, the Blackhawks buttoned down, settling into a low-event game. They deserve credit for pulling themselves together so quickly, but they also caught a massive break in the final minute of the second period when Wild netminder Devan Dubnyk whiffed on a long shot from rookie Teuvo Teravainen:

It was the final goal of the contest and a disappointing clincher to a back-and-forth game.

But despite the disappointment of a fluky game-winner, this is the kind of contest that promises a great series ahead.

The Wild overcame a three-goal deficit against one of the best teams in the NHL, showing they can go toe-to-toe in terms of firepower. Their exceptional depth was in evidence, with scoring chances coming from all four lines.

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Perhaps the most encouraging item for the Wild is in net. Facing Chicago previously, Minnesota had to rely on the likes of Josh Harding, Darcy Kuemper and Ilya Bryzgalov. Dubnyk didn’t have a great game, but he was brilliant down the stretch for the Wild, earning a Vezina nomination and rescuing a team that looked like it had no chance at the postseason just a few months ago. 

Part of that rescue effort was a pair of wins over Chicago down the stretch. After acquiring Dubnyk, the Wild shut out the Blackhawks 3-0 in the first game and won a tight 2-1 affair in the second, which clinched a playoff berth for Minnesota. Both games suggest that this year's edition of the Wild is capable of surprising the favoured Blackhawks. 

Chicago, despite some rough patches, managed to win the first game and take a lead in this series. The Blackhawks will have their work cut out for them winning three more, and that's exactly how it should be.