Mizutani: Wild aren’t true Stanley Cup contenders unless their superstars step up

With the Wild suddenly trailing the Colorado Avalanche in Game 4 on Monday night at Grand Casino Arena, and the fatalistic fan base staring down existential dread, Quinn Hughes decided to take matters into his own hands.

After corralling a loose puck along the boards, Hughes spun away from the blue line to keep the play onside, then feathered a backhanded pass into open ice with the just the right amount of touch to set up Nico Sturm for a goal that tied the game.

It was an incredible display of skill from Hughes when the Wild absolutely needed it. A perfect example of a superstar rising to the occasion.

It wasn’t enough for the Wild to walk away with a win, however, as the Avalanche retook the lead in the immediate aftermath, then slammed the door shut with a pair of empty netters in the final minute.

The final result? A demoralizing 5-2 loss for the Wild has pushed them to the brink of elimination. It would take a monumental collapse by the Avalanche at this point for them to blow a 3-1 lead in the series.

Credit the Wild for at least saying all the right stuff in the locker room despite the stark reality of the situation. This didn’t sound like a group of players that has completely given up. There seems to be a genuine belief that they can come back and make this a series once again.

That won’t happen unless Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy show up. Neither player made much of an impact in Game 4. They were invisible for prolonged stretches while their teammates continued to step up around them.

Whether it was Hughes coming through in a big moment, Brock Faber netting a primary assist, Jesper Wallstedt standing on his head between the pipes, or other role players making their presence felt, the Wild got more than they bargained for from the collective.

If the Wild got anything from Kaprizov and Boldy, they would’ve, could’ve, should’ve put themselves in position to win. That’s probably the most frustrating part. The series could very well be tied up right now.

Instead, Kaprizov played 24 minutes, 27 seconds, and Boldy played 23 minutes, 51 seconds, only mustering a single shot on goal apiece in that span. It wasn’t nearly good enough from a pair of superstars expected to produce at all times.