Holiday Break Comes At A Great Time For The Wild

ST. PAUL - Most importantly, the Minnesota Wild (21-10-4) were able to break their 4-game skid but secondly, they were able to enter the Holiday break with a win.

"It's a big win. Think about this the whole holidays," Wild forward Yakov Trenin said on the win heading into the break. "Definitely better than just lose."

Trenin, 27, missed the last five games with an upper-body injury but rejoined the Wild against the Chicago Blackhawks on Monday night. He recorded two assists and played great.

“Yeah, I thought that Trenny, it was really good to have him back," Wild head coach John Hynes said on Trenin. "You can see what he brings to the team and it was nice to get him back and him go right back into playing the style of game he needs to play. He had some big hits. Obviously, he had the two assists. I thought that Jonesy and Shoresy played really, really well, and I think Trenny’s a big part of that.

"Jonesy and Shoresy, I thought they were fast, they were on pucks, that line was very effective, but it’s nice to see Trenny come in and make a difference in the game. That’s why we have him. He’s a big, strong, power forward that brings a lot to your team, and he was a big factor tonight.”

This three-day break comes at a great time for the Wild though. It offers a chance for some of their injured guys to heal up and get ready for Friday's game or the following week.

It also gives guys who are slumping, a chance to take their mind off hockey and maybe reset a bit.

A guy like Ryan Hartman, who has one goal in his last 24 games and zero goals in his last 18 games, will get some time off to reset and get ready for the weekend.

"Yeah, December was busy for us, with a lot of back-to-backs and a lot of hockey," Hartman said. "We’ll have three days to spend with family, enjoy Christmas. I’ve got my son's first Christmas here, so I'm pretty excited about that. Yeah, fresh start after Christmas. That's always a next part of the season."

Related: Wild Need Key Forward To Break Through Struggles

Hartman, 30, is in year one of his three-year contract worth $4,000,000 season and has a full no-move clause this year. He has zero points in his last 16 games and was recently dropped from second line center to third line right wing.

"I mean, yeah, I mean, you know, I've had opportunities to score," Hartman said on this stretch. "I think I've made plays where some guys have had opportunities, the puck just hasn't gone in. Obviously, if they do it’s going to make you feel much better."

As for how Hynes sees this break as an opportunity for slumping guys like Hartman to take time off and find their game again?

“The way I see it is I think this is a break at a key time for us, and I give the players a lot of credit. We’ve been going at max capacity and really dialed in from training camp till now and there’s been way more success than there has been failure. But I also think that guys have really pushed, and I think guys have produced at certain times.

"I think it’s important for our group now to be able to get away from it for a few days, come off a win in a game that we played well, and then now it’s come back and we just reset and get moving forward. I think that’s something that everybody needs, and I’m pretty convinced that after the break we come back then we get set for another while."

Nonetheless, this break comes at a good time for the Wild who just broke their 4-game skid with a win. They just got back Trenin and Filip Gustavsson and could get Joel Eriksson Ek back in the lineup by Friday.

“It is. I think guys are banged up here and there. Obviously, we got some guys injured that it will be huge for. Yeah, I think it’s a good reset," Brock Faber said. "There’s been a lot of ups and downs to start already, and there’s going to be a lot more. Just taking time off, taking time away from the rink, and coming back focused is the goal.”

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