Wild find a spark at Xcel Energy Center, end skid by defeating Hurricanes, 2-1

Sarah McLellan, The Minnesota Star Tribune on Feb 6, 2025

Published in Hockey

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ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Wild probably wish they played the Hurricanes more than twice.

After one of their best games of the season last month in Carolina, the Wild used the rematch as a fresh start: Not only did they snap their scoreless slump, but holding off the Hurricanes, 2-1, Thursday at Xcel Energy Center also ended their two-game losing streak with their first win at home in five tries.

Goaltender Filip Gustavsson stopped 38 shots — including a penalty shot from Eden Prairie’s Jackson Blake — to preserve goals by Yakov Trenin and newcomer Vinnie Hinostroza after the Wild were blanked in back-to-back games to end their recent road trip.

That dip started when Gustavsson was in net vs. the Senators last Saturday, his season-high 46 saves preventing the 6-0 drubbing from getting more out of hand. Gustavsson then watched the Wild improve but still lose, 3-0, to the Bruins on Tuesday, but the Wild’s effort finally synced up with the outcome in their return to St. Paul where they had dropped four in a row.

Just 2 minutes, 55 seconds into the first period, Marat Khusnutdinov split the Carolina defense to get to a loose puck and send a no-look pass to Trenin, who deked to his backhand for his first goal in seven games and first since he was a healthy scratch Jan. 26 at Chicago.

This was also the Wild’s first goal since their 4-0 victory at Montreal a week earlier, the tally ending their goal drought at 124:22.

Trenin joining Khusnutdinov and Devin Shore on the fourth line was one of a handful of lineup changes the Wild made: Declan Chisholm drew in on defense for Jon Merrill, Marco Rossi was back centering the top line, and Hinostroza made his team debut after the Wild claimed him off waivers from the Predators on Wednesday.

With Ryan Hartman serving a 10-game suspension and Jakub Lauko out with a lower-body injury, the Wild were intrigued by the style of player and type of person Hinostroza is, coach John Hynes said.

Lauko, who underwent an MRI on Wednesday, barely got through the Boston game; his issue isn’t feared to be significant but still enough of a problem that he was going to be questionable to play the Wild’s final two games before the upcoming two-week break for the 4 Nations Face-Off.

Hinostroza, who led the American Hockey League in scoring before Nashville called him up in December, envisioned himself bringing energy, speed and offense to the Wild, and he previewed that skill set right away.

Only 49 seconds into the third period, he supplied a much-needed insurance goal when his shot hit the post and then rolled into the net after Hurricanes goalie Frederik Anderson unsuccessfully covered the puck in the crease. Anderson finished with 22 saves.

In between those goals and the rest of the way, Gustavsson was almost unbeatable.

He rattled off 15 saves in the first period, with Carolina very much looking like the team that averages the second-most shots in the league, but the Wild were protecting the middle of the ice to limit the Hurricanes’ quality looks.

Then in the second after Brock Faber held Blake on a breakaway, Gustavsson denied Blake’s do-over on a penalty shot to go 3 for 3 in his career; Blake lost the handle on his attempt, but Gustavsson’s right pad was in the right place to block the carom.

Carolina went 0 for 2 on the power play and the Wild 0 for 3.

Not until 2:48 remained did the Hurricanes spoil Gustavsson’s shutout bid when Sebastian Aho spun in the slot to wire in a shot with an extra attacker on the ice.

But Gustavsson and the Wild swept the season series after he had a 21-save shutout in a 4-0 win against the Hurricanes Jan. 4.