The Minnesota Wild struck fast with three goals in a span of 1 minute and 42 seconds early in the first period, powering their way to a 4-0 victory over the Seattle Kraken on Wednesday night.
Filip Gustavsson was dominant in net, making 34 saves to earn his fifth shutout of the season. Matt Boldy, who later added an empty-net goal, Ryan Hartman, and Liam Ohgren scored in the early offensive surge, helping Minnesota pull within two points of third-place Colorado in the Central Division.
Gustavsson has been stellar in recent home games, posting a 4-1-1 record in his last six appearances with a 1.48 goals-against average, a .949 save percentage, and two shutouts.
Philipp Grubauer made 24 saves for Seattle but couldn’t overcome the early onslaught.
Hartman opened the scoring just 2:47 into the game, firing a shot from the slot. Boldy followed with a nearly identical goal at 3:59, and Ohgren capitalized on a 2-on-1 break with Frederick Gaudreau just 30 seconds later to give Minnesota a commanding 3-0 lead. The Wild’s three-goal burst in the first 4:29 marked the fastest start by any team in the NHL this season.
Before the offensive explosion, Minnesota had gone seven straight games without a first-period goal, last scoring in an opening frame on March 4 in Seattle.
Game Takeaways
Kraken: Playing their fourth game in six days, Seattle outshot Minnesota 34-28 but suffered just their second regulation loss in their last seven games.
Wild: Minnesota lost center Marco Rossi—who is third on the team with 21 goals—early in the first period after he was hit by a Boldy shot. Rossi, one of three Wild players to appear in every game this season, left with a lower-body injury.
Key Moment
Boldy snapped a 12-game goal drought with his pair of goals. His 23 goals now tie him with Kirill Kaprizov—who has played just three games since December 23—for the team lead.
Key Stat
Seattle has struggled in back-to-back games, falling to 0-11 in the second contest of a back-to-back this season. The Kraken had beaten Chicago 6-2 the previous night.
Looking Ahead
Both teams return to action on Saturday, with Seattle visiting Edmonton and Minnesota hosting Buffalo.
