Minnesota is back home tonight, but there’s no easing into the schedule. After opening with four of its first five games on the road, the Wild return to face the Vegas Golden Knights at 7:00 p.m. on Wild+ and KFAN FM 100.3.
The timing makes this a tough follow-up to a strong trip through Florida. Kirill Kaprizov stole the spotlight there with a hat trick, Matt Boldy chipped in with a goal and an assist, and Jesper Wallstedt turned aside 29 of 30 shots in the win. Now the challenge gets bigger: Vegas arrives at 5-1-0 and riding a four-game winning streak.
If there’s an edge to be found, it may come on special teams. Minnesota has scored a power-play goal in every game this season and sits tied for fourth in the NHL with six. The penalty kill has also been sharp, shutting down all five Florida power plays on Saturday and pushing the Wild to 94.1 percent on the season, 16 of 17, tied for second-best in the league.
Vegas brings plenty of firepower in that area too. The Golden Knights are tied for second in the NHL with seven power-play goals, and their penalty kill has given up only three goals on 16 opposition chances.
There’s recent history here as well, and it leans Minnesota’s way. The Wild swept all three meetings with Vegas last season, outscoring the Golden Knights 12-6.
It was the second time Minnesota had taken the season series in full, matching what it did in 2017-18. Before that, though, Vegas had won five straight against Minnesota.
Wallstedt gets the start tonight for his sixth appearance of the season, while Calvin Pickard is slated to make his Wild debut tomorrow in Winnipeg. Wallstedt has gone 3-1-1 with a 1.78 GAA and a .936 save percentage in five starts, numbers that place him fourth in the NHL in save percentage and fifth in goals-against average among goalies with at least four games played.
In Other News...
Wild Blue Line Suddenly Has A Chance To Change This Start
The early weeks have given Minnesota something it has not always had on the blue line: steady production from the defense as well as cleaner play in its own end. Quinn Hughes and Jared Spurgeon have helped stabilize the group while also chipping in offensively, giving the Wild a more balanced look than the one that so often leaves the forwards carrying the load.
Spurgeons start has been notable enough on its own, but the pairing of his production with Hughes has pushed it into unusual territory for the franchise and, apparently, for the league record book as well. For a team trying to build a more reliable foundation this season, the fact that both defensemen have kept contributing every night is a welcome development, even if the full significance of the run is still unfolding. [Read more 🡒]
Wild Forward Depth Already Looks Tested After Hynes Foligno Update
The Wilds forward group is taking an early hit, and it comes with two familiar names in the middle of it. Head coach John Hynes said Marcus Foligno is dealing with an injury that has him listed day-to-day, while Nick Foligno is also out and has already forced the team to adjust its look up front. For a club that leans on depth and structure, losing two veterans in the same area of the lineup is not exactly a gentle way to open the season.
Marcus Foligno is still waiting on a medical evaluation that should provide more clarity, which leaves Minnesota in a holding pattern on one of its more physical and dependable forwards. Nick Foligno, meanwhile, is expected to need more time before returning, even if the team is not treating it as a long-term situation. For now, the Wild are trying to manage those absences without letting the ripple effect spread too far through the rest of the forward rotation. [Read more 🡒]
Kaprizov Just Led The Kind Of Wild Win Fans Needed
Kirill Kaprizov gave the Wild exactly the sort of night they needed in South Florida, piling up a hat trick and an assist in Minnesotas 4-1 win over the Panthers at Amerant Bank Arena. Matt Boldy chipped in a goal and an assist, and Jesper Wallstedt backed it up with 29 saves as the Wild handled a Florida team that never found much traction offensively outside of Matthew Tkachuks lone goal.
The result stood out even more because Minnesotas special teams held up well while Floridas power play sputtered throughout the night. For a Wild club looking for a confidence-building road win, the combination of Kaprizov driving the attack and Wallstedt settling things down in net was the kind of formula that can travel, even if one key scoring sequence from the star winger will be the part everyone wants to go back and see. [Read more 🡒]