The carnage from the Wild's trip to the Rockies was there for all to see.
• Eleven goals allowed, and only one scored, in two games.
• A total of 97 shots on goal given up, including 55 on Thursday.
• And the vision of Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar skating circles around the Wild as the Colorado Avalanche jumped past Minnesota in the West Division standings.
The Wild returned to Minnesota after Saturday's 6-0 drubbing, which followed Thursday's 5-1 blowout. On Sunday, it was time for a brisk practice. For captain Jared Spurgeon, that meant salvaging something from the mess in Denver.
"We can use it as a reality check, that we can't stray away from the game that makes who we are and the work that made us have those winning streaks,'' Spurgeon said Sunday. "Obviously, we're not happy with the road trip, but now we have a chance to come home and get back to the way we were playing."
That starts Monday, when the Wild opens a three-game homestand against the Anaheim Ducks. To make sure his team avoids the mistakes snowballed in Colorado, coach Dean Evason reminded the Wild of what it is.
"We wanted to get back to how we play,'' he said. "That wasn't our hockey club. That wasn't who were are the last two games.''
In that end, Evason put his team through drills the emphasized aggression, competition and even some fun. One drill focused on tight checking and puck battles by compressing the ice to use about half of an offensive zone. Another had the roster split into two teams, with every player and three pucks on the ice, and the first team scoring two pucks won the drill. Finally, he had players — including the goalies — shoot from the bottom of one circle to an open goal about 190 feet away, with pushups the cost for missing the net.
"The practice was pace,'' Evason said. "We wanted them to go quick and play with pace. … Hopefully, that jumps not only our legs, but our minds, too, to play the right way tomorrow when the puck drops.''
Added Spurgeon, "In the past two games, we were a little passive, and [the Avalanche] had way too much time to make their plays. … That's what we emphasized — hard work and getting the feet moving again.''
The fun came in the competition like the shooting contest, and Spurgeon believes that is important as the games pile up.
"It gives you some motivation, and some laughs,'' he said. "It lightens the mood again.''
Evason doesn't believe the losses at Colorado will become the start of a trend.
"Our group is not a fragile group. I know we're resilient; we've shown that already," he said. "The leadership is real strong in the room, and we'll be able to pull ourselves out of this.''
Talbot to start
Both Cam Talbot and Kaapo Kahkonen took their lumps in Denver, with Talbot facing those 55 shots and surrendering five goals, and Kahkonen allowing six on 42 shots. Evason said Talbot would start Monday against Anaheim. "We feel very confident that both goalies are going to rebound from last week,'' Evason said.
Etc.
• Forward Marcus Johansson, who has missed the past 16 games because of an upper-body injury, practiced Sunday and could play Monday, Evason said. The coach did not have updates on forward Marcus Foligno, who has missed four games because of a leg injury, or defenseman Matt Dumba, who missed Saturday's game because of a lower-body injury suffered Thursday.
• The Wild reassigned forward Joseph Cramarossa to the taxi squad. On Saturday, Cramarossa played in his first NHL game since March 21, 2017, for Vancouver.
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Wild tries to work two bad Colorado losses out of system - Minneapolis Star Tribune
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