The Wild Must Throw the Kitchen Sink At Jason Robertson – Minnesota Wild

The Minnesota Wild entered this playoff collection with a real shutdown duo. As gifted as Matt Boldy and Joel Eriksson are on the offensive aspect of the puck, they play a stable two-manner recreation. They’re large, sturdy, expert, and win puck battles on the common.

Forget the Wild’s hulking fourth line. If John Hynes needs to erase a line on the opposing staff and get some objectives for good measure, the Boldy/Eriksson Ek combo is his greatest guess.

As Minnesota comes dwelling for Games 3 and 4, Hynes will get a chance to indicate off his abilities as a tactician. Dallas should put their gamers on the ice earlier than every face-off, which supplies Hynes the means to set matchups all through the subsequent two video games. That permits him to attempt to engineer favorable conditions for scorers like Kirill Kaprizov. Just as importantly, he will get to determine which line he’ll use Boldy and Eriksson Ek to stifle all through the recreation.

The query is which line to make use of for that. Even with out Roope Hintz and Tyler Seguinthe Dallas Stars are deep in scorers. 40-objective-scorer Wyatt Johnston and Mikko Rantanen are on Dallas’ prime line, and 40-objective-scorer Jason Robertson and expert veteran Matt Duchene are simply behind them on the depth chart.

It’s a decide-your-poison scenario for those who’re in Hynes’ footwear. However, after the first two video games, Robertson’s line emerges as the clear reply of who to throw Boldy and Eriksson Ek at.

Marcus Foligno fired shots at the Stars’ play at 5-on-5 after Minnesota’s Game 2 loss. “They’re looking to play five-on-four,” he advised the media. “I mean, that’s their game. They can’t hang with us five-on-five.”

In a variety of methods, that is borne out over the first two video games. Minnesota out-scored Dallas 4-2 at 5-on-5, they usually saved most of Dallas’ greatest gamers in examine, with one exception: Robertson.

Robertson, Duchene, and Mavrik Bourque have performed 19 minutes, 43 seconds collectively at 5-on-5. In that point, they’ve held a 12-to-5 lead in scoring possibilities, per Natural Stat Trick. Without the Robertson line on the ice, the 5-on-5 scoring likelihood is useless-even in the scoring probability division: 24-to-24.

Looking at how Glen Gulutzan set his matchups, it appears he was focusing on the Kaprizov line and the Jonas Brodin–Jared Spurgeon protection pairing. Both make sense. Robertson’s greatest weak spot is his pace, however that drawback is mitigated when going through 30-somethings in Ryan Hartman, Mats Zuccarello, Vladimir TarasenkoBrodin, and Spurgeon.

Putting Robertson head-to-head in opposition to Kaprizov additionally forces the Wild’s famous person to defend. Robertson is the greatest participant on the Stars by way of grinding down opponents on the cycle. His offensive-zone possessions may be lengthy, with defenders having to chase his 6-foot-3 body throughout the zone.

Kaprizov’s usually a very good defender, however that is not the identical scenario for his linemates. Robertson would not even have to attain to succeed in opposition to Kaprizov’s line. In reality, he is performed Kaprizov to a scoreless draw via 10-and-a-half 5-on-5 minutes. But each second Kaprizov’s in his personal zone defending is a second Kaprizov is not terrifying the Stars’ protection.

It’s labored. The Wild have generated zero scoring possibilities in Kaprizov’s head-to-head minutes in opposition to Rantanen. The Stars have 5.

The excellent news is that Kaprizov can (and has) exploited considered one of Dallas’ prime traces. Kaprizov has out-chanced Rantanen by an 11-6 margin. Until Rantanen and Johnston can show they’ll gradual Kaprizov, there isn’t any motive for Hynes to cease attacking Rantanen.

The unhealthy information is that even with Hynes’ most well-liked matchups, Minnesota may not have a real reply to Robertson. Eriksson Ek lined up in opposition to Robertson for 5 minutes, and in an admittedly minuscule pattern, Robertson held a 4-to-0 scoring probability benefit. But that is the greatest reply Hynes has at his disposal, and he has to match his greatest shutdown line with Dallas’ most profitable line and see what occurs.

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