Wild Suffer Brutal 7-1 Loss To Oilers – Wilderness Walk

It’s not great when you’re sitting on top of the entire league, looking down at 31 other teams with a newfound confidence over a third into the season, and then just get absolutely demolished on a weeknight.

The Minnesota Wild suffered their worst defeat of the season at the hands of the Edmonton Oilers, losing by a score of 7-1. And to make it worse, it wasn’t just a goaltending meltdown or a heater from the other team, the Wild fundamentally did not feel like in the same category as the Oilers. They finished the game below Edmonton in every underlying category — highlighted by earning just 38.1 percent of the 5-on-5 scoring chances, and 30 percent of the high-danger attempts.

It was just misery on ice. But whatever, Freddy Gaudreau scored a goal.

That’s Wild

• If you want to re-live that game in a sadistic sort of way, here you go: [Pioneer Press]
• Are the Wild heading to overworking Filip Gustavsson? Are they too reliant on the young netminder being in between the pipes? [Hockey Wilderness]

Off the trail…

• Nikita Kucherov wrote his name in the Tampa Bay Lightning record books with a six-point night. [NHL.com]
• Scott Laughton of all players ended Thursday night with four goals to his name. The Philadelphia Flyers forward reflected on his special night. [Broad Street Hockey]
• The Buffalo Sabres are miserable and have lost eight straight. That is terrible. And their big-name young players are just not developing the way they want. [TSN]

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