A casual fan, perusing the highlights and noting the 5-2 box score, might have assumed that Chicago’s victory over Minnesota was a rout.
It wasn’t.
While it is true that the Wild should be worried after this contest, the Blackhawks too have much to consider.
Chicago should be the much better team, judging by the accomplishments of its core group, the regular-season standings, and both advanced and more basic metrics. But on Friday, the Blackhawks blew a 2-0 lead and were dominated by the Wild for long stretches of the game.
For Minnesota, the result was even scarier. Chicago was a long way from being at its best and still left the rink on the right side of that 5-2 score.
In his postgame availability, Wild coach Mike Yeo argued that his team can put in a better showing than it did in the opening contest:
Minnesota did have some problems—the penalty kill struggled, Kane’s last goal was a pretty ugly defensive breakdown, the better goalie was at the opposing end of the rink—but for all that the Wild’s game was fairly ...
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Article written by Jonathan Willis