Tempe, Arizona — Joel Eriksson Ek joked to reporters in the hours leading up to the Wild’s game against the Arizona Coyotes on Wednesday night that he isn’t as skilled as Minnesota teammates Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy.
When a reporter told Eriksson Ek that his 23 goals would indicate otherwise, he didn’t miss a beat, saying, “All good passes.”
Eriksson Ek’s style may not be the most flashy, but he has done an excellent job playing between Kaprizov and Boldy in the last two games. The trio has made life difficult for opponents in recent victories over the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Vegas Golden Knights.
That’s exactly what head coach John Hynes was hoping for when he concocted the new top line. Why does he think the combination has worked so well?
“They’re all playing a game that’s hard to play against,” Hynes said. “It starts with their willingness to skate and compete on pucks.”
It hasn’t been a case of Eriksson Ek dishing out pretty passes to Kaprizov and Boldy off the rush. Instead, they have worked together as a unit to make the right play whenever possible. Even if that means dumping the puck in and going to work on the forecheck.
“I think they’re putting pucks to good spots that allow them to continue to put the group they’re playing against under duress,” Hynes said. “That’s a real recipe to win. They’re talented players that are playing with the hardness and competitiveness that we need. I think their puck management is setting them up to be an attacking group.”
Asked about the new top line having success as of late, Eriksson Ek pointed to their compete level every time they hop over the boards.
“We’re working hard and winning a lot of 1-on-1 battles,” he said. “It’s a good recipe to play a lot with the puck and create chances.”
Eriksson Ek’s tenacity also seems to be pulling Kaprizov and Boldy into the fight. There haven’t been any passengers since they have been put together. That’s not a coincidence.
“Just playing our own styles and doing it together,” Boldy said. “It’s hard to defend. It doesn’t matter who has the puck. We can protect it and get out of there and make plays.”
The results have spoken for themselves. Not counting the matchup between the Wild and the Coyotes, in the two games since becoming the new top line, Eriksson Ek has two goals and one assist, Kaprizov has one goal and three assists, and Boldy has two goals and three assists.
“We’re all competitive guys,” Eriksson Ek said. “We want to win. To do that, we need to play with the puck and create chances. That’s where it all starts.”
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