As well as the Wild have played this month, Sunday felt like a barometer game for one key reason: The Winnipeg Jets have owned Minnesota the last few years.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s why the Wild\u2019s 3-0 victory over Winnipeg at Canada Life Center was so encouraging \u2014 and indicative of how much they\u2019ve been rolling. Sure, the Jets were without reigning MVP and three-time Vezina Trophy goaltender Connor Hellebuyck, and that\u2019s no small loss. But after a strong first period by Winnipeg, the Wild took control and never looked back.<\/p>\n
Minnesota snapped a nine-game losing streak against the Jets in their first win in Winnipeg since March 8, 2023.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought that Winnipeg had a little bit of the edge, I think, obviously, in offensive zone time, and even just competitiveness and hardness on the puck in the first period,\u201d coach John Hynes said. \u201cI thought we defended well and got some key saves when we needed them, but I thought we came out in the second, I think our battle level, our competitiveness, was better. We played more of a direct game, and I thought we were able to get to the game that was going to give us the best chance to win the night.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Wild improved to a league-best 9-1-1 in November with a league-fewest 1.55 goals allowed in that span after Jesper Wallstedt recorded the Wild\u2019s fifth shutout (the fourth in the past seven games). Wallstedt has a league-leading three shutouts, and they\u2019ve all come in his past four starts.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s playing like a wall right now,\u201d defenseman Brock Faber said. \u201cIt\u2019s fun to watch and it gives us all confidence.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Wild have made it easier on their goaltenders, too. They haven\u2019t trailed in eight games, and that span since Nov. 7 against the New York Islanders made them the first team to lead or be tied for at least 480 minutes since the 2023-24 Vancouver Canucks from Jan. 8-24, 2024 (488:43). Minnesota\u2019s penalty kill, buoyed by the season debut of veteran center Nico Sturm, killed all four Jets power plays and is 26 for its past 29. The Wild\u2019s 7-0-1 stretch in their last eight games included a combined nine goals allowed, and that\u2019s without two of their top three centers recently.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe first bunch of games, that I felt we were giving up 10 shots to our one to start the game,\u201d Faber said. \u201cNow, I feel like it\u2019s the other way around a little bit more. That helps our goalies a lot to settle in, opposed to them being under duress by the time the puck drops, so yeah, I think we\u2019ve gotten off to better starts and that\u2019s obviously allowed us to maintain a full 60 minute-games.\u201d<\/p>\n
If overcoming their woes against Winnipeg was a motivator, you couldn\u2019t tell from what the Wild said after the game.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know, the last couple of years, we haven\u2019t been good (against the Jets),\u201d Hynes said. \u201cWe haven\u2019t been focused on that, but it\u2019s more about the present now, and now we\u2019re 1-1 in the season series with them. So it\u2019s nice, a good, hard-fought victory, that we know we came in, Central Division rival, so it\u2019s good to come out on top.\u201d<\/p>\n
Danila Yurov, Faber and Kirill Kaprizov scored for the Wild on Sunday. Wallstedt made 32 saves.<\/p>\n
Even though they\u2019re on a three-game road trip, the Wild traveled back to Minnesota after the game. They will take Monday off, practice at home Tuesday and play in Chicago on Wednesday night.<\/p>\n
Wild never chase anymore<\/p>\n
For the 12th consecutive game, the Wild jumped out to a 1-0 lead, becoming just the fifth team in the past 30 years to do so,\u00a0and it came from Yurov \u2014 on the ice with his old linemates Marcus Foligno and Yakov Trenin because of a good change by Sturm in his season debut.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s easy, of course, when you score first,\u201d Kaprizov said. \u201cIf sometimes you\u2019re behind, you just try play the same way, and when you start leading it\u2019s easy to play, but you always try to make more offense and it doesn\u2019t matter what\u2019s the score.\u201d<\/p>\n
After a great breakout by Jake Middleton and Foligno, Trenin \u2014 the league leader with 107 hits after another eight Sunday \u2014 checked Nino Niederreiter off the puck before skating behind the net and setting up Yurov\u2019s third goal of the season from in front.<\/p>\n
\nTrenin wins the battle, Yurov finishes it off pic.twitter.com\/FCVQIHiVEm<\/a><\/p>\n
\u2014 Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) November 23, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
The \u2018Wall\u2019 stands tall<\/p>\n
This goalie rotation with the Wild couldn\u2019t be going any better. Wallstedt followed up Filip Gustavsson\u2019s shutout Friday in Pittsburgh with a shutout of his own. The touted goalie prospect is on an incredible run, having won five starts in a row with three of the last four coming via a shutout. The Wild have earned at least a point in each of his eight starts (6-0-2). In doing so, he set the franchise record for longest season-opening point streak, topping Nicklas Backstrom (6-0-1 in 2008-09).<\/p>\n
What\u2019s been the key to his success?<\/p>\n
\u201cThat I have a great team in front of me,\u201d Wallstedt said. \u201cI think the way our team has sacrificed themselves, I feel like we\u2019re one of the teams that blocks the most shots. We try to get in front of every puck. They take away sticks and everything, and boxing out so I can focus on my job. I feel like pucks have been getting stuck in me, and hopefully I show some calmness back there that I can show that they can trust me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wallstedt was at his best early on, especially in a first period when the Jets got off to a good start. When he made a slick glove save on Gabriel Vilardi in the first, you could tell he was on. The closest Winnipeg came was midway through the second, when Mark Scheifele had a point-blank shot after a scramble, but Wallstedt stopped it and Jonas Brodin swiped the puck out of the crease.<\/p>\n
The question is, who starts Wednesday in Chicago? We think Hynes will turn back to Gustavsson to keep both hot goalies active. But that would mean it would be the fourth straight time a Wild goaltender who picked up a shutout wouldn\u2019t start the next game. A good problem to have, of course.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just told (Gustavsson), \u2018Let\u2019s keep the streak going,’\u201d Wallstedt said. \u201c\u2018Now you had one, might as well, why not make it two for us?\u2019 We\u2019re laughing about it, but obviously it\u2019s a team effort.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nTeam Goaltending \u2013 November 23 pic.twitter.com\/Bq0x5GGDqg<\/a><\/p>\n
\u2014 JFresh (@JFreshHockey) November 23, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Some other interesting tidbits on Wallstedt\u2019s run:<\/p>\n
\u2022 At 23 years, 9 days, Wallstedt became the youngest goaltender in Wild history to register a five-game winning streak, besting Darcy Kuemper (2013-14), who was 23 years and 302 days at the end of his run.<\/p>\n
\u2022 He became the fourth-youngest goaltender in NHL history with a season-opening point streak of at least eight games, behind Grant Fuhr (8 GP in 1984-85 with the Edmonton Oilers), Felix Potvin (9 GP in 1993-94 with the Toronto Maple Leafs) and Pete Peeters (27 GP in 1979-80 with the Philadelphia Flyers), all of whom were 22.<\/p>\n
\u2022 He became the second rookie goaltender in the NHL\u2019s expansion era (since 1967-68) to post three blank sheets through his first eight games of a season, joining Martin Jones (three in six games in 2013-14).<\/p>\n
Wild score short-handed again<\/p>\n
For the second time in three games, the Wild scored on the penalty kill after having no short-handed goals in their first 20 games.<\/p>\n
Marcus Johansson set it up after a great job by Faber in the defensive zone. Johnasson took off for a two-on-one, but Faber said Johansson was communicating as he entered the offensive zone, yelling to Faber that he had time, and that gave Faber the confidence to jump up in the play and turn it into a three-on-two. Johansson hit the brakes and hit Faber, as the trailer, for his first career shorthanded goal.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was screaming (for the puck) just as loud as I could,\u201d Faber said. \u201cJojo\u2019s obviously such a gifted passer, there was no doubt in my mind that he wasn\u2019t going to pass that thing back.\u201d<\/p>\n
After no points in his first nine games, Faber has five goals and 13 points in his past 14 games.<\/p>\n
\nBROCK FABER SHORTHANDED \ud83c\udfaf pic.twitter.com\/dSbrMccTLN<\/a><\/p>\n