If the first two games of the John Hynes era is a sign of things to come, all will be well in the State of Hockey.
Hynes, named head coach of the Minnesota Wild after Dean Evason was fired on Monday, watched on the bench as Kirill Kaprizov scored a goal and Connor Dewar had a hat trick as the Wild turned up the volume in a 6-1 win in Nashville on Thursday night, snapping the Predators’ six-game win streak.
Dewar hadn’t scored a goal since Oct. 19 ad has just ten goals in his career but he wound up with a four-point night while playing on a line with Brandon Duhaime and Vinni Lettieri.
Dewar had a fourth goal wiped out by a review late in the third period that deemed the Wild offsides.
THROW THOSE HATS FOR DEWEY2 🧢🧢🧢#mnwild pic.twitter.com/T4H7ibamfP
— Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) December 1, 2023
Dewar, Jake Middleton and Kaprizov scored in the first period, Patrick Maroon and Dewar scored in the second period and Dewar was the lone Wild goal-scorer in the third.
Minnesota has outscored the Blues and Predators 9-2 under Hynes. Evason was fired after the Wild were outscored 28-13 in a seven-game losing streak.
Not only are the goals coming, the penalty kill is working. Minnesota was a perfect 4-of-4 on the kill against the Blues and they killed all four Nashville power plays Thursday night.
Up next: Wild vs. Chicago, Sunday at 1 p.m. CT.
