Wallstedt Stonewalls the Mammoth as Wild Win 3-1
Minnesota won 3-1 in Utah, but this was no lopsided night. The two teams traded chances almost evenly, and the difference was the man between the pipes for the Wild.
The shot attempts were dead level at 63 apiece. Both teams' chances were worth a little over three goals each. Utah's looks added up to 3.18 expected goals (how many goals its chances were worth), yet the Mammoth scored just once.
That gap belongs to Jesper Wallstedt. He stopped 26 of 27 shots, including 13 of 14 from the most dangerous areas. He finished 2.18 goals saved above expected, meaning he took away roughly two goals an average night would have allowed.
Logan Cooley got Utah's lone goal and had the Mammoth's best looks of anyone. Nick Schmaltz rang one off the post. Up front for Minnesota, Kirill Kaprizov had a goal and an assist on a line with Matt Boldy and Joel Eriksson Ek, who also scored. Quinn Hughes added two assists in nearly 30 minutes of ice time. The Wild's power play cashed two of its seven chances.
