Tkachuk has significantly adjusted his style of play in the offensive zone this season. He’s still a small beast, defending the ball and drawing penalties, like the high-flying goal from Minnesota’s Zach Bogosian in the first half, but, instead of advancing to the goal, he opts to raise his head and find teammates in space or defenders sneaking across the perimeter. He found Ridly Greig with a hard shot on the first turn of the game, and hit Jordan Spence with a seam pass on the third. His play has definitely improved, but he doesn’t have the same forward presence that he used to. The second line had tough O-zone shifts against the Wild, grinding down the goal line, but not enough to find the back of the net. Of Tkachuk’s team-high seven shots, most came from the perimeter. He was dangerous against the rush, he was blocked by Wallstedt’s glove several times.
