Six shots in the first period set the tone for a difficult night on the ice as the Minnesota Wild (5-5-1) got blanked at home 4-0 by the Seattle Kraken (6-4-2).
Seattle had just four shots in the opening period, but they erupted with three goals in the second by Morgan Geekie, Jamie Oleksiak and Alex Wennberg.
Wennberg added his second of the game for a 4-0 lead midway through the third period and the Kraken held tight for their third straight win.
The Wild are now 2-4 at home, a far cry from last season when they were 27-10-4 inside the Xcel Energy Center.
If there’s an excuse, it’s that Minnesota was down four of its top nine forwards. Jordan Greenway, Marcus Foligno, Ryan Hartman and Brandon Duhaime are all out with what the Wild have called “upper body” injuries.
Head coach Dean Evason said earlier Thursday that Greenway is the closest to returning and could join the Wild on a three-game road trip on the West Coast that starts Tuesday against the L.A. Kings.
Related: Of 4 injured Wild players, Jordan Greenway closest to returning
