Wild Crush Penguins 5-0 as Gustavsson Shines in Big Shutout

The Minnesota Wild continued their strong run in November with a dominant 5-0 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday night. It was a complete performance from Minnesota, highlighted by Filip Gustavsson, who made 19 saves to secure his second shutout of the season. With this win, the Wild extended their winning streak to four straight games and continued to show impressive form on both offense and defense.

Minnesota has now recorded three shutouts in their last six games, proving that their defensive system and goaltending have reached a very strong level. In November alone, the team has collected eight victories and suffered only one regulation loss, showing remarkable consistency. For the Penguins, this was their first game back after returning from Sweden, where they split their Global Series matchups against Nashville.

Gustavsson has recently formed a strong goaltending duo with fellow Swedish netminder Jesper Wallstedt, who has also been in excellent form. Wallstedt posted back-to-back shutouts against Calgary and Anaheim and then delivered a career-high 42 saves on Wednesday night during a shootout win over Carolina. With both goalies performing at such a high level, the Wild have gained confidence and stability in the crease.

Minnesota’s offense also came ready to perform. Matt Boldy led the way with two goals and one assist, continuing his hot scoring streak. Joel Eriksson Ek and Kirill Kaprizov both scored one goal and added an assist, while Marcus Johansson contributed a powerful one-timer to help Minnesota take early control of the game. The Wild jumped to a 3-0 lead just 11 minutes and 42 seconds into the first period and never looked back.

Boldy opened the scoring at 3:57 when he picked up the puck in the slot and calmly moved around Pittsburgh goalie Arturs Silovs before placing the puck into the net. This marked the 11th straight game in which Minnesota scored the first goal, showing how quickly they have been setting the tempo in recent matchups.

Eriksson Ek doubled the lead with a power-play goal at 9:39. He tipped in a shot with only 14 seconds remaining on a double minor penalty for high-sticking committed by Blake Lizotte. Soon after, Johansson made it 3-0 with a clean one-timer from the right circle, putting more pressure on the Penguins and their struggling defense.

Kaprizov added his 12th goal of the season just over a minute into the second period, deflecting another shot to beat Silovs. That goal ended the night for the Pittsburgh goalie, who faced 10 shots before being replaced by Sergei Murashov. Murashov performed reasonably well, stopping 9 of the 10 shots he faced, but the Penguins’ offense could not break through Minnesota’s strong defensive structure.

Boldy later secured his second goal of the night with 2:14 left in the second period. He now has eight goals in eight games, a strong turnaround after scoring only once in his previous 10. His recent offensive surge has helped Minnesota climb the standings and gain momentum.

The Wild will continue their road schedule with a game in Winnipeg on Sunday. Meanwhile, the Penguins will return home to host Seattle on Saturday night as they look to recover from this heavy defeat.