DALLAS \u2014 Four games into the season, the Minnesota Wild have been a tale of two, uh, strengths.<\/p>\n
On the power play, they look like the second coming of the 1980s Edmonton Oilers. At even strength, they look like a reincarnation of the late-1990s Tampa Bay Lightning.<\/p>\n
OK, OK, maybe not that bad, because they are getting chances, at least. But they certainly haven\u2019t been able to score.<\/p>\n
Minnesota has gone three games without a five-on-five goal, its past nine goals coming on the power play. Nine consecutive power-play goals are tied for the third-longest streak in the NHL since the 1933-34 season. The Wild scored four power-play goals against the Columbus Blue Jackets, three against the Los Angeles Kings and two in the third period against the Dallas Stars to spark a comeback attempt<\/a> that could not be completed by game\u2019s end.<\/p>\n All tallied, the Wild have 10 power-play goals and a 47.6 percent conversion rate \u2014 both best in the NHL. But what\u2019s the deal at even strength, where they\u2019ve scored only 28.6 percent of their goals?<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019ll come,\u201d vowed Matt Boldy, the first player in team history to score in each of the season\u2019s first four games. \u201cYeah, it\u2019ll come.\u201d<\/p>\n Boldy has reason to believe. The Wild are piling up the shots (35 per game, third in the league), including a franchise-record 52 against Columbus and 40 against Dallas. However, both of those games resulted in regulation losses for the 2-2-0 Wild, with the latest coming in Tuesday\u2019s 5-2 defeat against the Stars to start a five-game road trip.<\/p>\n The reality is that just like their scorching hot power play, the lack of finish comes in a small sample size, and the team\u2019s five-on-five play has pressured enough to draw a league-high 21 power plays.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not for a lack of offensive-zone time. It\u2019s not for a lack of shots. It\u2019s not for a lack of opportunities,\u201d coach John Hynes said of the Wild\u2019s even-strength lack of output (four goals opening night in St. Louis, none since). \u201cRight now, we\u2019ve got to continue to look through it. I think that when you\u2019re not getting them and you\u2019re not having the pressure, then there\u2019s probably another issue.<\/p>\n \u201cSo I think we\u2019ve just got to stay with it. It\u2019s a few games in here, but I would say that if there was no offensive pressure, then I think it would be probably a little bit more concerning than it is right now.\u201d<\/p>\n According to Sportlogiq, though, the Wild definitely need to do a better job getting to the inner slot. In 26:17 of power-play time over the past three games, the Wild have eight inner-slot shots and 33 in all, with nine goals. In 138:28 of five-on-five time, they\u2019ve gotten nine inner-slot shots and 78 in all, with zero goals.<\/p>\n Absolutely Wild splits\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/TpHWTkmUCP<\/a><\/p>\n