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The Minnesota Wild (2-0-2) kept their season-opening point streak alive in a 4-1 road victory over the St. Louis Blues (2-2-0) on Tuesday, Oct. 15. The first of four meetings between the divisional foes went to the team up north.
Courtesy of assists via stars Kirill Kaprizov and Brock Faber, Ryan Hartman was able to get a power-play tally just 3:50 into the first period. Going up 1-0 early, the Wild never looked back.
In his fourth contest as a member of the Wild, Jakub Lauko got on the board. The shorthanded goal was assisted by rookie forward Marat Khusnutdinov and long-time defenseman Jonas Brodin. It was the former’s fourth career assist and the latter’s 188th, highlighting the experience discrepancy.
Minnesota followed goals where men were down on each side with one at even strength, potted by youngster Marco Rossi for his first of the new campaign. Mats Zuccarello got his second assist of the season while Kaprizov got his fifth, putting him among the early league leaders in that category. He’s off to a hot start with six points in four contests.
Midway through the final frame, the Blues showed some signs of life. Mathieu Joseph netted his first goal as a Blue in a nice pressure sequence inside the offensive zone. Zachary Bolduc and Philip Broberg got the assists, with the latter already passing two of his three seasons points-wise with the Edmonton Oilers (he scored his fourth). The 23-year-old defenseman was offer-sheeted in the summer.
Related: Blues’ Brilliant Offer Sheet Gamble With Broberg, Holloway
Unfortunately for St. Louis, the Wild put the game away with an empty-net tally. However, this was no ordinary goal—it was scored by a goalie. Filip Gustavsson tucked as many goals as he allowed, firing one the entire length of the ice and right on target. He’s the first netminder to do so since Tristan Jarry of the Pittsburgh Penguins on Nov. 30, 2023.
GOALIE GOAL! GOALIE GOAL! GOALIE GOAL! 🚨 pic.twitter.com/NS3CsKb9ge
— NHL (@NHL) October 16, 2024
On top of scoring, Gustavsson stopped 27 of the 28 shots he faced. At the other end, Jordan Binnington made 23 saves on 26 shots for the Blues.
Next up, St. Louis will stay in Missouri to face the New York Islanders on Oct. 17. The Wild will get a bit of a break, not seeing the ice again until Oct. 19 to wrap up their season series against the Columbus Blue Jackets. This time, Minnesota will be on the road.
