The NHL script is really good. In a game in which Alex Goligoski is honored to play 1,000 NHL games, he eliminated the overtime winner, giving the Minnesota Wild a much-needed victory. What an incredible game from a player who has been healthy in 12 of his last 13 games. If Wild introduces an outdated lineup, he shouldn’t even be in the game. They dressed seven protectors. Who is the seventh defender?
https://t.co/YWLSzf0xeg Alex Goligorski went from zero to overtime hero the night he was honored https://t.co/IfC2n76sXp pic.twitter.com/msAcxExR8N
As interesting as it is, we’re not here to talk about Gus. We are talking about the guy who scores the decisive goal here.
Steele, who focused on Kirill Kaprizov and Mats Zuccarello in Friday practice, became Wild’s latest apprentice to shoot between 36 and 97. Steel replaced Freddy Gaudreau as the main player, and fans were eager to see how she handled every line change in wrestling team.
The Wild entered the game against the Hurricanes after a three-game losing streak and needed a prime-time home win. Some of the banter must have got the boys excited before the Carolina Hurricanes game. Whether it’s the ritual of the Goose, the energy of Saturday night, or the return of Brent Burns, the arrow at the center of the Xcel energy seems to be turning towards the wild.
He is passionate about wildlife. Steele has won 60 percent of his games against Carolina and is second on the team behind Joel Eriksson Ek. He ranks fourth on the team in expected goals and is the only regular goal. Steele rushes like crazy between Zuccarello and Kaprizov. He leads the Wild with 66.6% corsi and leads the team in corsi percentage compared to his teammates. Steele also had the most chances on the team and the most chances against Carolina.
Steele saw a huge change on the ice. On average, he works about 11 minutes per night, mostly doing Level 6 work. But Evanson played Steele for almost 14 minutes against the Hurricanes, and Steele was worth the extra minutes.
Steele decided that the game would not end well and landed an over-the-shoulder shot on Hurricanes goaltender Petr Kochetkov.
Then Steele was on the scoresheet again, skeeting at the Player of the Night, who had driven the puck into the net like a Thanksgiving turkey.
His playing history in the NHL suggests that Steele can’t continue like this. His career record is 6 goals. Since becoming an NHL regular in 2019-20, Steele has scored a total of 21 goals. He scored 18 goals in 175 matches. These are not huge numbers by any stretch of the imagination. He’s young, breaking into the NHL at 20 and adjusting to the NHL’s learning curve.
The Anaheim Ducks selected Steele 30th overall, and he scored an absolutely insane 133 points in the Regina Pats WHL a year after the Ducks selected him in the first round. The numbers show that a child can score. Steele did a fantastic job with the Canadian youth team and his youth team in the AHL. His numbers speak for themselves.
However, Steele’s game has not been aired in the NHL so far. A player with the performance he possesses is expected to do better. After seeing enough of him, the Ducks didn’t make a qualifying offer to the restricted free agent after his contract expired last year. The Wild picked him up to secure competition and a place on the Bottom-6 roster. He had a good pre-season, but in attack they don’t expect much from him. Minnesota has him in a deep role.
So far this year, he has advertised for wildlife. The defense is solid enough to be a burden, but with little offense. The Wild’s lack of points led to a roster reshuffle that resulted in Steele taking first place.
It’s similar to what happened last year when the Wild put Hartman in first place because none of the other options worked. Obviously we know they keep covering it and the rest is history, but Steel is a similar story.
Former first round pick? Check. Did the crime live up to the hype? Check. Allotted six lower roles? Check. A solid two-way game? Check. Moving from ship to new crew in search of a fresh start? Check. A game between Kaprizov and Zuccarello? Check.
Steele had his best game in the Wild sweater and his base stats have been good this year. He does what Dean Evason wants him to do, and when Dean asks him to be 1C, he steps forward.
The pieces are here, the storyline is juicy. Could Sam Steele be the last player to bring stability to the Wild’s top spot since Ryan Hartman’s injury? Can he prove his doubters wrong and become the player the Ducks want him to be?
The Minnesota Wild recently unveiled their latest upside-down jersey. Basically, this is a color-changed version of the first series of inside-out retro jerseys, this time […]