It is not as dramatic a game-changer as in football or lacrosse, but possession matters a great deal in hockey, especially when there is someone in the penalty box.

Among the many things that John Hynes did not like about his team’s 4-1 loss to Pittsburgh in its final outing of October was its propensity to lose faceoffs. As the Wild coach cited in a clearly disappointed postgame press conference, Minnesota won two special teams faceoffs — just two — during the 60 minutes they were facing the Penguins.

One of the reasons the Wild signed Nico Sturm in the offseason was the German center’s historically good faceoff stats. Of course, Sturm was injured before ever playing a game this season, and after back surgery, his future was uncertain.

But if fans were questioning Hynes’ decision to si

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