ST. PAUL – Tonight might’ve been a different team that the Wild played but the result was the same. Two straight games in which the Wild blew a lead in the third period. One to the Nashville Predators whom the Wild are trying to chase in the standings and another to the Anaheim Ducks who came into tonight’s game with almost more losses on the season than points.
“Yeah, exact same play on the box-out. So, that’s what happened really last two games,” Wild head coach John Hynes said. “They’re just clear-cut assignments that we have to and we don’t do them and it winds up in the back of our net. I think when you have a system and you have a structure and there are no grey areas in it, it’s unfortunate because it cost us two games. Not that one play each time but in general.”
On the Ducks’ first goal, it was Troy Terry who was left all alone in the slot on his forehand before he ripped home his 13th of the season. The play started in the corner when Zach Bogosian tied up Bo Groulx.
Groulx poked the puck free to the faceoff dot where Jake Middleton gathered the puck. Frank Vatrano then pickpocketed Middleton and fed Terry who was left all alone with no one close. Terry made no mistake in beating Filip Gustavsson to tie the game in the first period.