The St. Louis Blues are returning home with a surprising 2-0 series lead against the Minnesota Wild. Those two wins were due to some outstanding play from Jake Allen, some timely offense and some fortunate bounces. Things are bright in the St. Louis dressing room while the blame game is already being played by the Wild on the other side of the rink.
Following Game 2, Devan Dubnyk was a bit upset about the call which created a 4-on-4 situation.
Dubnyk said it's "unacceptable" refs made that a 4-on-4 game
— Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) April 15, 2017
Dubnyk probably believes his team should have been put on the powerplay, but his statements are pretty silly. When the playing field is level and you allow a goal, there’s no one to blame but yourself and your teammates in front of you. It’s really no different than allowing a goal during 5-on-5 play. No team has the advantage, so if you give on eup, that’s on you.
To make matters worse, the Wild used to specifically use a strategy designed to create 4-on-4 situations in which they could exploit the opposition with their speed.
There's irony to fact Yeo noted in previous #mnwild postseasons how it was a tactic by opponents to create 4-on-4s vs MIN & refs always bit
— Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) April 15, 2017
That is Yeo’s take and it’s possible it has changed, but with many of the same players still on the roster, it’s likely the Wild still aim for 4-on-4 situations where they should hold a competitive edge.
It’s worth noting that the Wild have only scored in situations with the man advantage.
When you lose two games at home…and only have a 6-on-5 goal and 5-on-3 goal…it's the referee's fault. #PhogAllenNorth #STLBlues https://t.co/zbV9tPI4IH
— Tim McKernan (@tmckernan) April 15, 2017
This series is still pretty early, but it’s a good sign that the Wild are trying to find blame outside of their own dressing room.
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