Matt Boldy helped set the tone early, Joel Eriksson Ek finished the job after a bizarre bounce off a referee, and the Minnesota Wild held off the Philadelphia Flyers 4-2 on Tuesday night.
The Wild wasted little time grabbing control. They struck twice in a span of 31 seconds in the first period, first when Boldy took a feed from Quinn Hughes and snapped a shot from the high slot past Flyers goalie Dan Vladar. On the next shift, Blake Coleman sent a pass that hit Porter Martone’s skate and kicked straight to Michael McCarron, who quickly wristed it in to make it 2-0.
The turning point in the second period came with the Flyers already trying to dig out of the early hole. A clearing pass from Jamie Drysdale struck referee Kyle Rehman and turned into a Minnesota 2-on-1, and Boldy set up Eriksson Ek for a wrister that beat Vladar and pushed the lead to 3-0.
Philadelphia was furious on the play, and Trevor Zegras shouted at Rehman before being hit with a 10-minute misconduct.
The Flyers did make it interesting. Tyson Foerster scored, then Denver Barkey added a power-play goal to pull Philadelphia within 3-2. But Minnesota shut the door from there, and Danila Yurov sealed it with an empty-net goal.
Jesper Wallstedt stopped 23 shots for the Wild, who have now earned points in six straight games at 5-0-1 and have won five in a row on the road.
Boldy finished with a goal and an assist, and the top line of Kirill Kaprizov, Eriksson Ek and Boldy extended its remarkable start, going 17 games without being on the ice for a goal against.
In Other News...
Wild Still Have A Shot As Dylan Larkin Trade Talks Stall
Dylan Larkins name has stayed in the mix as the Red Wings continue to explore trade possibilities, and Minnesota remains one of the teams watching closely. The Wild are among the clubs Larkin would accept a move to, which keeps them in the conversation as Detroit looks for a path forward and the market around the center remains unsettled.
The wrinkle is that Detroit wants more flexibility before anything can get done, while Larkin and his camp have not budged. For Minnesota, that leaves the door open but far from wide, with interest still there and the situation still waiting on a breakthrough that has yet to arrive. [Read more 🡒]
Wild Could Be Eyeing A Superstar Move They May Not Afford
The trade market around the Wild has a way of turning ambitious in a hurry, and this latest discussion fits the pattern. With player movement across the NHL becoming more fluid and long-term contract certainty harder to count on, Minnesota keeps getting mentioned in conversations that would have sounded far-fetched not long ago. The idea of adding a true star always carries appeal, especially for a team trying to stay in the mix and keep its window open.
But the more practical question is whether the Wild could actually build a package strong enough to get there. Even before any talk of a bigger swing, assembling the kind of assets needed to land elite talent has been a challenge, and Minnesota has already felt how difficult that can be when chasing top-end names. If the team is going to make a move in that tier, it will have to navigate both the price and the uncertainty that comes with it. [Read more 🡒]
Wild Send Mason Shaw Back Down As His Role Gets Murkier
The Wilds roster churn continued with Mason Shaw headed back to Iowa, a move that leaves his place in Minnesota looking even less settled as the season rolls on. Shaw had been in the mix as the club juggled depth options, but the latest reassignment underscores how hard it has been for him to carve out a lasting role with the big club.
Minnesotas decision comes amid a busy stretch around the Central Division, where Dallas is also dealing with an injury concern after defenseman Miro Heiskanen came out of a recent game with an upper-body issue and is considered day-to-day. Heiskanen has been a fixture for the Stars this season, so his status bears watching, while the Wild keep sorting through their own bottom-of-the-lineup decisions and waiting for a clearer answer on where Shaw fits next. [Read more 🡒]