PITTSBURGH \u2014 The Pittsburgh Penguins may have left their legs and overall game in Stockholm, but as Matt Boldy said after the Minnesota Wild\u2019s easy-peasy 5-0 win Friday night at PPG Paints Arena, \u201cwe owed \u2019em one.\u201d<\/p>\n
Twenty-three days earlier, the Wild\u2019s season was at a low point when they were beaten at home by the Penguins, 4-1, for their ninth loss in 12 games. Ever since? The Wild are a league-best 8-1-1 with a league-fewest 1.7 goals per game after Filip Gustavsson recorded the Wild\u2019s league-leading fourth shutout with only 19 saves.<\/p>\n
The Wild defended so impeccably, Gustavsson said after his 13th career shutout, \u201cI was just standing there enjoying my night. Just had a few saves here and there. They blocked the shots and played very, very solid in front of me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Minnesota jumped out to a 3-0 first-period lead, then chased Art\u016brs \u0160ilovs from Pittsburgh\u2019s next just 69 seconds into the second period when Kirill Kaprizov tipped Jake Middleton\u2019s shot on the defenseman\u2019s first shift back after being lost early in the first period when he was high-sticked just under his left eye.<\/p>\n
Boldy continued his scorching pace of late with two goals and an assist. Joel Eriksson Ek and Kaprizov had a goal and an assist apiece, while Marcus Johansson also scored and Brock Faber assisted on two goals.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur game\u2019s getting better and better, and that\u2019s what matters,\u201d Boldy said. \u201cAnd I think everyone\u2019s going. There\u2019s no passengers right now, which is great.\u201d<\/p>\n
Faber said it was sweet redemption for the home loss to the Penguins just more than three weeks ago.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re a confident group, and you feel like you can beat any team in the league when you\u2019re on and they definitely didn\u2019t see our best then, and I guess we didn\u2019t see their best tonight,\u201d Faber said. \u201cBut, yeah, there was definitely some thought of that, that we definitely owed them a better one than we gave them back at home.\u201d<\/p>\n
That’s five goals in his last six games for Matt Boldy \ud83d\udd25 pic.twitter.com\/PsWSWka39k<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 NHL (@NHL) November 22, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n Wild on fire since return of Zuccarello<\/p>\n The Wild are 6-0-1 since Mats Zuccarello\u2019s season debut on Nov. 7 on Long Island. That\u2019s the Wild\u2019s longest point streak since they opened last season 5-0-2. Friday marked Zuccarello\u2019s 400th game in a Wild sweater.<\/p>\n While Zuccarello doesn\u2019t want to talk about that, coach John Hynes said with a chuckle, \u201cHe talks to me about it, I can tell you that.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cZuccy brings a personality and a veteran presence to the team that I think is very positive,\u201d Hynes said. \u201cHe\u2019s a highly talented player that plays the game in the right way, I think. Just his attitude around the group, he can loosen some things up, but he can do that because he plays the right way, so it\u2019s good to see him come back right off the injury, and he\u2019s made a major impact for us.\u201d<\/p>\n Goalie rotation?<\/p>\n Jesper Wallstedt is 4-0 in his past four starts with a 1.22 goals-against average and a .963 save percentage. Gustavsson, after beating the Penguins on Friday night, is 4-1-1 in his past six starts with a 1.95 goals-against average and .921 save percentage.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s the guy I\u2019m challenging against,\u201d Gustavsson said. \u201cWe\u2019re pushing each other to play our best out there. We know if we\u2019re not on our best, the other guy\u2019s gonna play.\u201d<\/p>\n With both goalies on top of their game and the Wild having the second-best team save percentage (.941) this month, Hynes has been asked the past few days if he could see using strict goalie rotation like Carolina does.<\/p>\n While Hynes won\u2019t commit to that, he did indicate both will continue to see consistent action if they continue to play well.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a luxury right now, and it\u2019s a good situation for us,\u201d Hynes said. \u201cWhen both guys are playing the way they\u2019re playing, let\u2019s keep them both playing.\u201d<\/p>\n Gustavsson was probably always getting the Pittsburgh game, but after Wallstedt made 42 saves through overtime on Wednesday night in an 8:55 p.m. game against Carolina and another three in the shootout (he\u2019s seven for seven in shootouts this season), Hynes wanted to be smart.<\/p>\n Players didn\u2019t get home from the game until 1 a.m. Thursday, then had to fly to Pittsburgh 12 hours later. After Friday\u2019s game, the team flew to Winnipeg for a Sunday afternoon game. Hynes didn\u2019t want to risk injury or fatigue with Wallstedt, so Gustavsson got the easy nod.<\/p>\n Now we\u2019ll find out Sunday if the Wild come back with Gustavsson after his shutout or Wallstedt? Six games ago, Wallstedt shut out Calgary and the team came back with Gustavsson when it next played against San Jose two nights later.<\/p>\n What a run for Boldy<\/p>\n Less than four minutes into the game, Boldy extended his point streak to six games (six goals, 10 points) and he now has eight goals in his past eight games after one in his previous 10. It was the 11th consecutive game the Wild scored first.<\/p>\n What\u2019s more, his overall game has been tremendous with his battles along the wall and defensive play alongside shutdown center Eriksson Ek and Johansson.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you look at the matchups that he\u2019s getting, too, \u2026 to be able to produce is one thing in this league, but to be able to do it when you\u2019re starting in the D-zone a lot of your shifts, you\u2019re going against other teams\u2019 top line every single night, that\u2019s hard,\u201d Faber said. \u201cThat\u2019s really hard. To be doing what he\u2019s doing is extremely impressive, but it\u2019s not surprising to anyone in this room.\u201d<\/p>\n a Penguins giveaway in their own zone results in a quick Boldy redirect to make it 5-0 pic.twitter.com\/BGBbf3ClVe<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 CJ Fogler \ud83e\udee1 (@cjzero) November 22, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n Kaprizov is the Wild\u2019s superstar, but Boldy is right on his tail, and he\u2019s doing it in hard minutes because, as Faber mentioned, his D-zone starts and top-line matchups with Eriksson Ek as his centerman.<\/p>\n \u201cThose three guys (Johansson-Eriksson Ek-Boldy) are playing at the top of their game,\u201d Hynes said. \u201cI think they\u2019re really playing as a strong trio. I think they\u2019re all skating. You see them from an offensive perspective. They\u2019re very close, tight-knit. They can check the other team\u2019s top lines offensively, and then, you know, Ekky\u2019s been fantastic on faceoffs, which has helped. \u2026 The three of them are all working at the same work rate and they\u2019re at the top of their game right now.\u201d<\/p>\n Boldy played a big part in the Wild\u2019s power-play goal by Eriksson Ek to gain a 2-0 lead. It came with 14 seconds left in a double minor and it could have been a big momentum change had Zeev Buium not slid right to create a shootout lane for a redirection.<\/p>\n \u201cWe joked around that it was a really bad power play,\u201d Boldy said. \u201cI don\u2019t think we got set up once.\u201d<\/p>\n Joel Eriksson Ek PPG from Zeev Buium. 2-0 #mnwild<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/0Ml2EkiTAx<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Spoked Z (@SpokedZ) November 22, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n Hinostroza injured, will return to Minnesota<\/p>\n Forward Vinnie Hinostroza looked to have sustained a serious injury in the second period when he was checked hard to the ice by Penguins defenseman Ryan Graves. Hinostroza landed hard on his back and tailbone and may have hit his head on the ice. He first lay stationary, then turned over in his pain, hopped to the bench and limped down the tunnel. You could hear him yelling in pain on the ice.<\/p>\n Hynes said, \u201cI think he\u2019s going to be out a little bit. We\u2019re gonna probably send him home from the trip. So we\u2019ll see where he goes from there.\u201d<\/p>\n Vinnie Hinostroza injury pic.twitter.com\/YXNmMmhlJs<\/a><\/p>\n