The Wild entered Sunday night’s game in Chicago having lost five of their previous six games. Emblematic of the Wild’s recent struggles was a second-period scrum in front of the Wild net versus Calgary on Saturday night.
During the fracas, Minnesota goalie Marc-Andre Fleury caught a punch to the head. Messing with goalies is a no-no according to the hockey code, but the Wild response to the hit left their coach disappointed.
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In some frank postgame words for his team, John Hynes sought more pushback from his players.
“Winning simple is hard. You’ve gotta choose your hard, right? And right now we’re not choosing our hard the right way, and it’s costing us games,” Hynes said. “So, it’s hard to win. It’s hard to lose. Now, we’re sitting here answering these questions. Everyone wants to say they don’t feel good. At the end of the day, you choose your hard. And right now, we’re not choosing the right hard.
“So, now we’re choosing to lose. Right? That’s hard. Losing’s not easy. Winning’s not easy. We’ve gotta get back to the commitment level that it takes to win. The mentality, the fire, the competitiveness, the depth in the lineup. Right now it’s not enough. It’s not enough.”
Starters sit
With his team looking for a spark, Hynes gave two of his regulars the night off on Sunday.
Forward Yakov Trenin was a healthy scratch for the first time this season, replaced by Drew Shore in the lineup, and defenseman Declan Chisholm — also healthy — sat out for the first time since Nov. 23, replaced by Travis Dermott.
Other than five games he missed in December with an upper-body injury, it was the first absence for Trenin, who came to the Wild via a four-year, $14 million free-agent contract last summer. Through his first 44 games in red and green, he has four goals and four assists.
Hynes said he told both players of the move on Sunday morning.
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“I just think we need a little bit more there,” Hynes said of Trenin prior to the game in Chicago. “Harder on pucks in the offensive zone, using his size and strength, more physicality too, and impacting the game as a power forward. It’s been there at times, but right now it’s not enough.”
Chisholm has played in 43 games with a pair of goals and nine assists.
“He’s played some really good hockey for us, but just the identity we need him to play with has slipped a little bit,” Hynes said. “When he’s an efficient puck-mover, when he under-handles the puck, takes the first option, that’s when he’s playing best.”
Sunday’s game was the 28th this season for Shore, the former University of Maine standout, who prior to the Blackhawks game had recorded one assist this season playing a fourth-line role. Dermott, claimed off waivers from Edmonton earlier in the season, played his ninth game for the Wild on Sunday, and entered the contest looking for his first point.
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