The Minnesota Wild beat the Winnipeg Jets 3-0 on Sunday, bringing their record to 12-7-4. Their current five-game winning streak has them sitting in third place within the Central Division and primed for a playoff push. Wild goalie Jesper Wallstedt made two pieces of history within the shutout win over their division rival.
“Jesper Wallstedt turned away all 32 shots he faced for his League-leading third shutout this season and have become the youngest goaltender in [Wild] history to register a five-game winning streak,” NHL Public Relations posted. “Jesper Wallstedt (8 GP) became the second rookie goaltender within the NHL’s Expansion Era (since 2967-68) to post three shutouts in his first eight games of a season, joining Martin Jones.”
The Wild have earned points in each of Wallstedt’s eight starts to start out the season. That’s tied for sixth all-time. Filip Gustavsson is the starter in Minnesota, but Wallstedt might be the highest backup within the league. In a crowded Western Conference playoff race, Minnesota could have a leg up on contenders with their backup in the online.
The Wild drafted Wallstedt in the primary round of the 2021 NHL Entry Draft. They traded up within the draft to get him, and that move is paying off in spades. With Kirill Kaprizov under contract for eight seasons after this one, the Wild need a goalie of the long run to lean on. They’ve that in Wallstedt, which was no guarantee before this season.
In five profession starts across two seasons before this yr, Wallstedt had an .877 save percentage and a 3.44 goals-against average. But he has blown all of those numbers out of the water this season. With the goaltending clicking and each Kaprizov and Matt Boldy on great scoring paces, things are looking up in Minnesota.
The Wild are back in motion on Wednesday on the road against the Chicago Blackhawks.