Takeaways: Wild squander two-goal lead, but edge Hurricanes 4-3 on Matt Boldy's shootout goal

Sarah McLellan, The Minnesota Star Tribune on Nov 20, 2025

Published in Hockey

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Jesper Wallstedt finally gave up a goal, but the Wild goaltender kept another streak going.

Wallstedt has yet to lose in regulation after making a career-high 42 saves Wednesday night at Grand Casino Arena in a 4-3 nail-biter, which the Wild won in a shootout, against the high-flying Hurricanes.

Matt Boldy had the only goal of the shootout, scoring on the Wild’s third attempt before Wallstedt stopped Taylor Hall to win it.

Carolina scored twice in the third period, including a backbreaker from former Eden Prairie High School star Jackson Blake with 1 minute, 6 seconds left. But Wallstedt denied Blake on a breakaway in overtime and went a perfect 3-for-3 in the shootout.

His best save was an outstretched glove stop on Andrei Svechnikov. The rookie improved to 5-0-2 in his first season as the Wild’s backup.

After back-to-back shutouts, Wallstedt’s shutout streak ended at 95 consecutive saves and 175:12. That’s the longest by a Wild rookie and best by an NHL rookie since 2015.

As for the Wild, they’ve won a season-best three straight games, are on a six-game point streak and own only one regulation loss in their last nine.

Boldy netted his first shorthanded goal in regulation and Mats Zuccarello had his breakout performance, scoring his first and setting up another in his sixth game back from surgery that sidelined him the first month of the season.

His new-look line with Kirill Kaprizov and Danila Yurov was a hit, with Yurov assisting on two goals.

Shots were 45-18 in favor of the visitors.

How it happened

For a franchise-record 10th straight game, the Wild scored first, with Zuccarello’s shot getting a piece of Brock Faber en route to the Hurricanes net just 1:54 into the first period.

That lead doubled at 11:46 when Boldy intercepted a Carolina pass to skate in alone on a Wild penalty kill and bury the breakaway five-hole on Hurricanes goalie Frederik Andersen, who made 16 saves; the Wild PK went 2-for-2, while the power play blanked on its lone look.

But Carolina was better in the second period, outshooting the Wild 16-5, and that pressure culminated in the first goal against Wallstedt and first five-on-five goal allowed by the Wild since their 5-2 win over the Islanders on Nov. 7.

Blake had his second goal in as many games vs. the Wild, tipping in a Sean Walker shot 14:03 into the second.

Turning point

The Hurricanes didn’t go away in the third, but the Wild finally responded on the very first shift.

Yurov and Kaprizov worked the puck to Zuccarello, who went into Carolina territory uncontested after a pair of Hurricanes players collided and drained the shot 15 seconds into the period.

Sebastian Aho reinstated a one-goal difference at 6:34 with a sizzling shot off the rush before a jam by Blake slid under Wallstedt’s pad for the equalizer.

Key stat

The Wild went 302:43 without giving up a five-on-five goal until Blake scored his first of the game.

Up next

The Wild play their next three games on the road, beginning Friday at Pittsburgh. This will be the Penguins’ first game back stateside since a pair of games in Sweden last weekend; after losing to Nashville in overtime, Pittsburgh won the rematch 4-0.

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