The Minnesota Wild continued their homestand on Saturday evening, Nov. 15, as they hosted the Anaheim Ducks. Their roster took a bit of a hit as they continued without Nico Sturm and Zach Bogosian, but were also without both Marco Rossi and Vladimir Tarasenko because of injuries. Mats Zuccarello was a game-time decision due to illness, which he ended up playing through.
The game started scoreless, but the Wild scored early in the second period, and unlike earlier in the season, this time they held the lead. They added to it late in the third and got the regulation win as well as Jesper Wallstedt’s second consecutive shutout. In this article, we’ll take a look at some takeaways, starting with Wallstedt’s goaltending.
Wild’s Wallstedt Being “The Wall of St.Paul”
After a tough loss to the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday evening, Nov. 11, the Wild bounced back with a big shutout win over the Ducks, and Jesper Wallstedt was a big reason why. He is truly living up to his nickname, “The Wall of St. Paul,” and he’s the first Wild goalie to have consecutive shutouts in his rookie year. While he had a bit of a struggle to begin his NHL career, he is consistently improving with every game he plays.
He’s constantly learning, and he’s not a timid goaltender by any means. He plays with an aggressive style, and against the Ducks, it led him to venture from the net a few times, but just when it looked like he was going to get caught, he made it back in time. His ability to see the puck through traffic and awkward bounces off the glass is impressive, especially for a rookie, and those saves gave the Wild the chance to pull out the win.
“Yeah, no, it feels really good. It’s obviously a big difference from what I experienced last year, and changes whole mood in my whole lifestyle outside of hockey as well. It’s so much more fun right now going to work than it was a couple months ago, but that’s like I’ve said, it’s not just me, it’s about this team as well,” said Wallstedt about how it felt to get the win and the shutout.
Wild’s Unlikely Goal Scorer
Matt Boldy got the empty net goal, which comes as no surprise, but the game-winning goal went to second-liner Marcus Johansson, who has been on fire in terms of points this season. He’s been playing with a lot more energy and aggressiveness that he didn’t have last season. He’s fit well into the lineup and has some strong chemistry with Boldy and Joel Eriksson Ek.
Minnesota Wild defenseman Zeev Buium is congratulated by teammates after scoring (Matt Blewett-Imagn Images)
When the top line has struggled to get on the board, the second line has stepped up, especially Boldy and Johansson, both of whom were on the scoreboard against the Ducks. Johansson now has 16 points in 19 games, with seven of those being goals and two game-winners. Boldy has 20 points in 19 games, and his points are evenly split with 10 goals and 10 assists. If the Wild’s top line isn’t contributing, they’ll need the second line to continue.
“Yeah, I mean it obviously helps a lot, I think the main thing for us is we gotta keep playing, and when we score one, we can’t sit back and try to defend that lead. We gotta keep going, and I think we did a better job of that today, but that’s where we gotta keep building our game, I think, but it’s getting there,” said Johansson about playing with the lead.
Wild’s Kids Time to Shine
With another injury added to the list with Tarasenko, it gave Liam Öhgren the chance to show his skills. He only played a little over six minutes but had one shot and two hits. He wasn’t exactly noticeable, but he tried, and it can be difficult to transition to the lineup so quickly. However, if he wants to crack the lineup, he has to make an impression sooner rather than later. It’s unclear how long Tarasenko will be out, so Öhgren’s days are numbered.
Although he’s been in the lineup all season, his game shines more and more with each game he plays, and that’s Zeev Buium. His offense was already pretty strong, but he continues to improve it, and his defense is getting better, too. Against the Ducks, instead of turning away from the play, he stepped up and blocked the shot. The Wild need him to continue to improve his game as he’s making an impact in every game.
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“Yeah, I think even from Vegas last year to the first five games this year to the next five games, just every game I feel like just improving, just kind of understanding this league and our systems, and I can just feel my confidence growing game by game,” said Buium about his defensive game getting better.
The Wild got the win over the Ducks, but they’ll have to up their game against the Vegas Golden Knights, especially since they’ll be on the second half of a back-to-back. However, they will also need more scoring presence from the rest of the team as well. Hopefully, the Wild can use the momentum from this win to keep it going against the Golden Knights.
