Horrendous start to Wild's season continues with loss in Detroit
At 5-10-4, the Minnesota Wild are off to their worst start since the inaugural season in 2000-01. The latest loss came Sunday, a 4-1 blow to the Red Wings in Detroit. No matter what happens Tuesday night when the Wild host the St. Louis Blues, the 2023-24 season is the worst 20-game start for Minnesota since the 2000-01 expansion team went 4-12-3-1 in the first 20 games.
Minnesota's record through 20 games, year by year:
- 2022-23: 9-9-2
- 2021-22: 13-6-1
- 2020-21: 12-7-1
- 2019-20: 7-11-2
- 2018-19: 12-6-2
- 2017-18: 9-8-3
- 2016-17: 11-7-2
- 2015-16: 11-6-3
- 2014-15: 12-8-0
- 2013-14: 12-4-4
- 2012-13: 10-8-2
- 2011-12: 12-5-3
- 2010-11: 10-8-2
- 2009-10: 7-11-2
- 2008-09: 12-7-1
- 2007-08: 11-7-2
- 2006-07: 12-7-1
- 2005-06: 9-9-2
- 2004-05: Strike season
- 2003-04: 8-9-3
- 2002-03: 11-5-4
- 2001-02: 7-8-4-1
- 2000-01: 4-12-3-1
Minnesota tied Sunday's game 1-1 with 11 seconds left in the first period when Kirill Kaprizov's shot was deflected into the back of the net by Joel Eriksson Ek for his team-leading 10th goal of the season. The goal was initially awarded to Kaprizov before the change was announced between periods.
KIRILLPOWERPLAYGOAL#mnwild pic.twitter.com/CN4QDQBgT1
— Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) November 26, 2023
Dylan Larkin gave Detroit a 2-1 lead with 3:07 left in the second period. The goal came during 4-on-4 play when Larkin cut to the center of the ice and fired a shot that Wild goalie Filip Gustavsson couldn't control and neither Frederick Gaudreau or Brock Faber were able to clear the juicy rebound before Larkin got to it and buried a shot for his eighth goal of the season.
Flyin' Larkin! #LGRW pic.twitter.com/JW7K6JoR2l
— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) November 26, 2023
With the Wild on the power play in the final two minutes of the second period, Eriksson Ek found himself alone on a breakaway with a chance to tie the game but he never got a shot off, instead mishandling the puck and turning it over.
That proved a costly missed opportunity because Pat Maroon was whistled for a tripping penalty just 54 seconds into the third period and the Red Wings made the Wild pay as David Perron's second goal of the game – the 300th of his career – came on the ensuing power play for a 3-1 Detroit lead.
That's goal 300 for David Perron! 👏 pic.twitter.com/UPSuubhTlD
— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) November 26, 2023
Detroit would add an empty net goal in the final seconds after Minnesota didn't capitalize on a pair of third period power plays.
Up next: Wild vs. Blues, Tuesday at 7 p.m. CT.
Title: Bring Me The Sports co-owner, editor Email: joe@bringmethenews.com Twitter: @JoeBMTN Education: Southwest Minnesota State University Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota Expertise: All things Minnesota sports Nelson has covered Minnesota sports for two decades, starting his media career in sports radio. He worked at small market Minnesota stations in Marshall and St. Cloud before joining one of the nation's highest-rated sports stations, KFAN-FM 100.3 in the Twin Cities. There, he was the producer of the top-rated mid-morning sports show with Minnesota Vikings announcer Paul Allen. His radio experience helped blossom a career as a sports writer, joining Minneapolis-based Bring Me The News in 2011. Nelson and Adam Uren became co-owners of Bring Me The News in 2018 and have since more than tripled the site's traffic and launched Bring Me The Sports in cooperation with the Sports Illustrated/FanNation umbrella. Nelson has covered the Super Bowl and numerous training camps, NFL combines, the MLB All-Star Game and Minnesota playoff games, in addition to the day-to-day happenings on and off the field of play. Nelson also has extensive knowledge of non-sports subjects, including news and weather. He works closely with Bring Me The News meteorologist Sven Sundgaard to produce a bevy of weather and climate information for Minnesota readers. Nelson helped launch and manage the Bring Me The News Radio Network, which provided more than 50 radio stations around Minnesota with daily news, sports and weather reports from 2011-17.