Dean Evason singles out one player after tough loss.
The head coach of the Minnesota Wild pointed the finger of blame at one of his veterans on Saturday.
The Minnesota Wild were handed a tough loss on Saturday night, eventually falling by a score of 7-4 to a Toronto Maple Leafs team that was propelled by a hat trick from star forward Auston Matthews. In spite of the heroics from Matthews however, it was clear that the Wild felt they had a chance to win this one and were very disappointed by the final outcome.
Following the game, Wild head coach Dean Evason pointed the finger of blame firmly at one of his most veteran players, something of an uncharacteristic move from the Wild's bench boss. It was clear that Evason was still furious about an uneccessary penalty that was taken by 38 year old defenseman Alex Goligoski in the game's final frame.
"Can’t happen," said a frustrated Evason as per Wild insider Mike Russo. "You can’t take (a) stupid — really stupid — bad penalty and Goose knows it. We addressed it, but it can’t happen. Can’t happen in Game 2 and it can’t happen moving forward."
A little over 6 minutes into the third period, Goligoski was spun around by Maple Leafs enforcer Ryan Reaves as both men were chasing down the puck, a rather blatant bit of interference on the part of Reaves that went uncalled by the officials on the ice. Goligoski, who was clearly frustrated himself, decided to give the officials an earful for missing what he likely also believed should have been an easy call.
Here's a look at the replay:
Unfortunately for Goligoski, the officials didn't appreciate the language he used and sent him to the box instead for unsportsmanlike conduct.
"Make a f***ing call," Goligoski could be heard screaming on the broadcast.
It wasn't a great night for Goligoski overall and no doubt that played a significant factor in a frustrated Dean Evason singling him out after a tough loss in Toronto.