Wild aim to end skid, 'turn the page' at Global Series in Sweden

STOCKHOLM -- With more than 100 of their rabid fans cheering them on, Marc-Andre Fleury and his Minnesota Wild teammates walked into the stands and sat down alongside their adoring supporters at Hovet on Wednesday.

It was their chance to get up close and personal and say thank you to the throng of people who made the trip across the Atlantic to support the Wild at the 2023 NHL Global Series Sweden presented by Fastenal, which also features the Toronto Maple Leafs, Ottawa Senators and Detroit Red Wings.

In the process, it has also allowed the team to put their previous outing, an 8-3 defeat to the Dallas Stars on Sunday, in the rearview mirror. It's a much needed reset for a team that has staggered to a 5-8-2 start to the season, including three straight losses.

"Definitely," general manager Bill Guerin said. "I mean, let's be honest, we weren't very good the other night. That's just stating the obvious. Everyone could see that.

"This kind of helps us turn the page and focus on this. Remember, we're here for two big games."

The Wild arrived in Stockholm on Tuesday and held a full practice Wednesday before playing the Senators on Saturday (11 a.m. ET; BSN, BSWIX, NHLN, TSN5, RDS) and Maple Leafs on Sunday (8 a.m. ET; BSWIX, BSN, NHLN. SNO).

"We haven't been playing well," Guerin said. "We have to turn it around. So maybe just the change of scenery will be good for us."

So was a lengthy practice defined by a lot of skating, according to Wild coach Dean Evason.

"Wanted to get up and down the ice and shake those jet-lagged legs," he said. "All that good stuff. So we had a good skate but hopefully some good stuff as well that we wanted to work on."

Part of that was much needed special teams work, aspects that failed them against the Stars. Dallas scored five power-play goals and two short-handed goals against Minnesota on Sunday, so it's easy to see why Evason wanted his players to concentrate on those areas.

For forward Joel Eriksson Ek, the need for the Wild to have two good performances in Sweden is that much more pressing. The 26-year-old is a native of Karlstad, 200 miles west of Stockholm, and will have plenty of friends and family in attendance for each game.

"I think we have a willingness to spend this time together as a group and rebound and create connections with each other," Eriksson Ek said. "You know when to work and when to rest and just the calmness you'll need sometimes."

Another reason for the Wild to be upbeat: forward Kirill Kaprizov, who missed practice Monday for a maintenance day, skated with linemates Marco Rossi and Mats Zuccarello. He's expected to play Saturday and emphasized that the Wild are here for a business trip.

"Who said that we're here to have fun?" he said.

At least, for a couple of minutes on Wednesday as they sat with their fans, they were able to have a bit of it.