CHICAGO (AP) — Kirill Kaprizov had two goals and an assist, rookie Jesper Wohlstedt made 24 saves for his first shutout in the NHL, and the Minnesota Wild beat the Chicago Blackhawks 4-0 on Sunday. I broke it.
Wohlstedt, who allowed seven goals on 34 shots in his NHL debut Jan. 10 in Dallas, earned a shutout win in his first return to the net with the Wild. The Blackhawks suffered their 13th shutout loss this season, the most in the NHL.
“It's unbelievable,” said Wohlstedt, who was called up to the AHL from Iowa State on Saturday. “With 15 seconds left, I was like, 'Okay, let's do it.' It's incredible to feel and see the effort that I've put in every single day since Dallas has really paid off. Today was definitely It’s going to be a better night.”
The win keeps Minnesota's slim playoff hopes alive. With five games remaining, they have 83 points. The Western Conference's top two wild-card teams, Las Vegas and Nashville, enter Sunday with 92 points.
The Wild scored three points in the second period. Kaprizov started the explosion with a powerful wrist shot from the right crease on the power play 1:06 into the game, reaching the 40-goal mark for the third consecutive season.
Marco Rossi broke away from defenseman Nikita Zaitsev and took one pass from Mats Zuccarello, beating Blackhawks goaltender Arvid Soderblom for a 2-0 lead at 12:31. About six minutes later, Frederic Gaudreau was stationed in the slot and deflected a Zach Bogosian drive into Soderblom's right shoulder.
“He showed a lot of the talent that everyone knows about,” Gaudreau said of Wallstedt. “He looks really calm and collected. He makes saves that aren't easy.”
Kaprizov added his second goal 8:10 into the final period, beating Söderblom, who made 33 saves.
Walstead, a 2021 first-round draft pick from Minnesota, found the net with relative ease. Chicago's best shot came from Alex Vlasic in the second period. He cut it back like a veteran.
“I thought he made some good saves early on and settled in,” Wild manager John Hynes said. “We played better in front of him, too. We didn't give up too many wacky rushes or easy looks.”
“He was quick to get into position and set there,” Wohlstedt said of his improvement since Dallas. “I think I'm stronger mentally and I know what I have to do to keep my mind fresh during the match. I felt more in control. I had more fun today. ”
Chicago coach Luke Richardson said the Wild have more energy than his team.
“They spent too much time in our zone. Their good players were really great when they had the puck. They kicked it away (offensively) a few times, but… Once I caught it, it was like a dog chasing its tail.”
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Wild: At Colorado on Tuesday.
Chicago: Wednesday in St. Louis.
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