Wild after 4-0 home loss to Utah: ‘Our attitude seems tough to find’
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Kirill Kaprizov and Jared Spurgeon were back in the Minnesota Wild lineup Thursday night, but it didn’t give them the spark they had hoped for in a 4-0 loss to the Utah Hockey Club at Xcel Energy Center.
Kaprizov had been out a month with a lower body injury, yet still remained the Wild’s top scorer. Spurgeon had been out since New Year’s Eve. After the game, the team had trouble explaining their third straight home loss. The Wild is now 11-11-1 at Xcel Energy Center, typically an ice sheet they dominate.
Not so this year.
"Our attitude just coming in at home seems tough to find. On the road it’s always there, here I don’t know. I’ve never been in a situation like that," winger Marcus Foligno said. "We’ve always been a really good home team, we’ve got to figure it out here soon because it’s a place we’ve got to make it tough for opponents to play."
Wild find themselves in a rut
Why it matters: The Wild has now lost four of its past five games, previously having weathered a series of injuries that had decimated the lineup. Kaprizov had three shots and had 16:39 of ice time in his first time back in 13 games.
Utah scored less than two minutes into the game, then scored on a power play to have a 2-0 lead at the first intermission. They made it 3-0 at 14:14 of the third period, and the building was flat.
Filip Gustavsson made 25 saves on 29 shots for the Wild. Karel Vejmelka stopped all 26 Wild shots he faced for his first shutout of the season. The Wild was without Jonas Brodin and Marcus Johansson, but otherwise were the healthiest they’ve been for most of the season.
The Wild has been out-scored 15-4 as they’ve lost four of their last five games.
"It’s something that we’ve got to, that’s a challenge that’s presented to us right now. There’s lots of positive things that are going on, but obviously this is one that we have to dig into and come up with some solutions for because it’s not good enough," Wild coach John Hynes said.
What’s next
The schedule: The Wild host the Calgary Flames Saturday night at Xcel Energy Center to put a cap on Hockey Day Minnesota. They then have a five-game road trip and are not back in St. Paul until Feb. 6.