Wild’s five-game road trip had one beauty and four clunkers

NEWARK, N.J. − Rangers goalie Igor Shesterkin swiped a finger over his cheek and looked down, presumably checking for blood.

He’d just taken a Kirill Kaprizov shot off the mask, the impact shattering Shesterkin’s throat protector and spraying shrapnel into the slot that had to be cleaned up while Shesterkin waited for new headgear.

“He probably mad at me,” said Kaprizov, who has practiced with Shesterkin during the offseason in Russia. “But it’s OK. I will do something good for him outside of hockey.”

There was nothing apologetic about the way the Wild played in that 3-1 victory Monday over the Rangers at Madison Square Garden: They were decisive and determined, the most in-your-face (literally) their attack has looked all season.

If not for Shesterkin, the Wild could have piled on the goals, but the try was enough of a turnaround to suggest the Wild had rediscovered their identity after a pregame video meeting reminded them of what that is.

“We need to play a certain style, the way that we’re built,” coach John Hynes said, “and we were committed to that.”

But that dedication to the details didn’t make it through the tunnel to New Jersey.

“It comes down to a willingness to put that game on the ice and the work that it takes to win night in and night out regularly,” Hynes said. “That was the difference.”

This brand of hockey isn’t always the prettiest nor is it easy.

It demands precision, in execution but also decisionmaking. Sometimes, a chip up the boards is a better play than deking at the blue line.

But the Wild are also expected to compete, and that’s how they’re supposed to gain an advantage, by wearing the other team down.

Instead, their northbound style was stuck south of the equator because they were the ones under pressure, and it cost them.

“It’s a long year,” said Matt Boldy, who had the Wild’s lone goal vs. New Jersey. “There’s a lot of games. It’s early. We’re trying to have that game every night. There’s a curve there that we have to get better at and be able to put that game back out there game after game.”

While their success starts from their net out and how quickly they can transition up ice, the Wild’s offense continues to confound.

After they pelted the New York crease with pucks, they were on the perimeter against the Devils and prioritized passes over shots. And now their power play is on the fritz: Since debuting as the best in the league during a 10-for-21 run, the Wild have blanked on their last 11 chances.

“Our power play at the start of the year obviously was clicking,” captain Jared Spurgeon said. “Right now, we’re struggling on it, but just not getting those timely goals that we were at the beginning. But also just 5-on-5 we gotta find a way to score some goals. We can’t rely on the power play to do it every single night.”

There’s more season ahead of the Wild than behind them, so this uneven start doesn’t have to define them.

“It shouldn’t matter where you play,” Hynes said. “It’s the mindset you have to play with and the willingness to do it.”

The Wild have shown they’re capable.

Now they have to prove they’re consistent.