'Respect the shot': Wild players have different approaches to breakaway chances

The deke to forehand shot is a combination center Rem Pitlick practiced growing up.

He even had it in his repertoire when he went head to head with friend and former Shattuck-St. Mary's goalie Evan Robert.

"He always knew the move was coming, and it kind of turned into a mind game," said Pitlick, who played at the Faribault school for three seasons. "Like he knew it was coming and was I going to be doing it again? I think of it when I'm out there. I'm just like, 'I don't know. I'm just going to try it again, I guess.'"

This sequence eventually made it to the NHL, with Pitlick deploying the maneuver twice last Saturday after scoring his first NHL goal to complete a natural hat trick in the Wild's 4-2 victory at Seattle.

But not every player has cultivated a tried-and-true move such as Pitlick.

"Probably some guys have," winger Kevin Fiala said. "Me specifically, I do it with instinct. I look where the goalie is [and] look where I'm at. So I always do it differently."

In Fiala's case, repetition doesn't mean routine.

While he's worked on a shot enough to feel comfortable executing it, the experience doesn't make him more inclined to use it. He doesn't even pay attention to whether he releases the puck more from his forehand or backhand.

"In the game, you just have to react," Fiala said.

Even in a shootout where the player with the puck has more time to pick a shot, selection could vary depending on what intel is available on the goaltender.

On the flip side, netminders can also study up on players' preferences but then that sets up the "mind game" Pitlick referenced — guesswork that can be more harmful than helpful.

"I try to not read too much into patterns or anything like that because guys in this league are so good and so crafty that if they think that guys are trying to scout that move, it's not hard to come up with another one with the skill in this league," the Wild's Cam Talbot said. "You try to just be as patient as possible as a goaltender and hope that they make the first move and then can just follow them from there."

Having the goalie brace for the puck is key for winger Ryan Hartman, who also doesn't have a go-to move.

"You gotta make sure the goalie respects your shot," Hartman said. "If you're stickhandling in front of you, you can't shoot it, right? You gotta have the ability to at least shoot it to have them have to respect the shot."

Tuesday's game against the Sharks was only the Wild's sixth at Xcel Energy Center so far this season.

Only the Islanders (none) and Coyotes (five) have played fewer times on home ice, with the bulk of the Wild's success coming on the road, where the team's six victories are among the most in the NHL.

"Being on the road together, getting some wins like we have, definitely brings the guys together and shows the kind of character we have in our locker room," defenseman Matt Dumba said. "You get to know guys and are able to have a couple beers with them and really learn and understand them and what makes them tick.

"I think that just makes for a better team. You want to go out there and battle for those guys. Just knowing each other, I think that can go a long way, especially early in the season if we build that."

Matt Boldy, who suffered a broken left ankle during training camp, has been skating and could return to action soon — possibly this weekend with Iowa in the American Hockey League.

"It's nice to see he's back and getting ready to play hockey," Wild coach Dean Evason said.