ST. PAUL, Min. — As of Wednesday afternoon, the Minnesota Wild (17-4-4) sit atop the NHL standings with 38 points and are riding a four-game winning streak.
The Wild were tied with the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday afternoon, but a 3-2 overtime thriller against the Vancouver Canucks in St. Paul that night lifted Minnesota to a two-point lead over Winnipeg, who lost to the St. Louis Blues that night.
The decisive goal in Tuesday’s victory at the Xcel Energy Center was delivered by Kirill Kaprizov after several key saves from goalkeeper Filip Gustavsson. While their stellar performances so far in the season have captured the attention of hockey fans, injury resistance and the ability to win on the road are two other major factors as to why the team is the best in the league right now.
Kaprizov and Gustavsson fuel the Wild attack
An early favorite for the NHL’s Most Valuable Player, Kaprizov leads the league in points with 39. He ranks third in most goals in the league with 16 and ranks seventh in assists with 23.
He is currently on a four-game point streak dating back to November 29 when he recorded an assist against the Chicago Blackhawks.
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Between the pipes, Filip Gustavsson has the league lead with a 2.04 average and a 12-4-3 record. His .929 save percentage ranks third in the league and has allowed two goals or fewer in 14 of his 19 starts, according to the team.
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Resilience from injuries
Last month, veteran winger Mats Zuccarello suffered lower body injuries after being hit by a teammate’s shot during a game against the Montreal Canadians. On Tuesday, the team placed Zuccarello on long-term injured reserve. Zuccarello, who is playing his 16th season in the NHL and sixth with Minnesota, had six goals and eight assists prior to his injury.
Winger Matt Boldy, who has played alongside Kaprizov in place of Zuccarello, has helped the team fill the missing offensive production with 11 goals. Second-line center Marco Rossi has also helped the team produce with seven goals.
Also on Tuesday, the team placed veteran defenseman Jonas Brodin and center Jakub Lauko on injured reserve. Both players missed the last three games due to injury.
Despite Brodin’s missing veteran presence on the blue line, former Gophers star Brock Faber is playing just under 25 minutes per game and has a plus-minus of plus-12 this season.
Team captain and savvy defenseman Jared Spurgeon has picked up the slack on both ends of the ice, scoring two goals against the Chicago Blackhawks on Nov. 29 and scoring the game-winning goal in overtime against the Nashville Predators the following night.
The takeover of David Jiricek of the Columbus Blue Jackets The past week is expected to strengthen the Wild’s defensive depth and provide support for potential challenges ahead. Minnesota gave up four draft picks, including a first-round pick in 2025 (top five protected), in exchange for the 21-year-old prospect.
Road warriors
The Wild are the best team in the league on the road, with a 10-1-3 record. In October, the team went on a seven-game road trip and won five of those games.
Goalkeeper Marc André Fleury was perfect away for St. Paul this season, winning all four matches he started in net.
Minnesota will look to continue their dominance on the road with a three-game road trip against the Anaheim Ducks, Los Angeles Kings and Utah Hockey Club.
The first of those three games is Friday evening in Anaheim.
Note: The above video first aired on October 9, 2024.
