"The Wall of St. Paul": 2025-26 Regular Season, Game 20: Carolina Hurricanes at Minnesota Wild

The Carolina Hurricanes are off to a good start on their road trip, winning decisively in Game #1 of 4 against the Boston Bruins on Monday night. With momentum on their side, they tried to build a streak against the Minnesota Wild on Wednesday, playing the second half of TNT's doubleheader. We'll have to wait a little longer to see Jalen Chatfield back in the lineup, though his return to the ice and joining the team on the trip feels like a positive sign. The Wild are dealing with injuries of their own. While Mats Zuccarello is back, Marco Rossi and Ryan Hartman are now on the shelf. They're hoping that Jesper Wallstedt can keep his mojo rolling, entering the night with a shutout streak over 141 minutes after back-to-back shutouts.

Scoring Summary

1st Period

MIN (1:54)- Brock Faber (4) (Mats Zuccarello (5) & Danila Yurov (2))

MIN (11:46-SH)- Matt Boldy (11) (unassisted)

2nd Period

CAR (14:03)- Jackson Blake (5) (Sean Walker (4) & Logan Stankoven (6))

3rd Period

MIN (0:15)- Mats Zuccarello (1) (Kirill Kaprizov (13) & Danila Yurov (3))

CAR (6:34)- Sebastian Aho (8) (Andrei Svechnikov (5) & Seth Jarvis (7))

CAR (18:54)- Jackson Blake (6) (Nikolaj Ehlers (9) & Shayne Gostisbehere (12))

Overtime

None

Shootout

MIN- Matt Boldy

My Thoughts

The complexion of this game lies in Frederik Andersen making a stop on either breakaway his team conceded. It's almost as if the Hurricanes needed to play a perfect game in front of him. The first goal was a fluke that I blame the poor stick checking on more than the netminder. Sebastian Aho can't gift wrap a short-handed breakaway for Matt Boldy like that, but it would be nice to know that your goalie can bail you out when the moment calls for it. The same goes for the Mats Zuccarello goal 15 seconds into the third period. While two Hurricanes collided, if Andersen makes that save, it doesn't feel as consequential. Does that mean Jackson Blake scores the goal with 1:06 with the goalie on the bench? Probably not, and I honestly don't think that we can know for sure, but Andersen has to play better. He hasn't been the same goalie since the Colorado game that he made 44 saves and guided the team to a wild shootout victory. It's becoming an issue, and the fans are taking notice.

If not for Jackson Blake, the Hurricanes don't earn even a point. Logan Stankoven deserves a ton of credit, too, because the duo single handedly broke Jesper Wallstedt's shutout streak after over 175 minutes. Blake forechecked his behind off, got free to get the puck to Stankoven, and won a battle in front of the net to put himself in a position to redirect Sean Walker's shot. Then, down a goal in the final minutes, he managed to squeak one over the goal line to tie the game. The referees didn't know it was in, but the Hurricanes did. His contract is looking better and better, and it hasn't even started yet. The second line was the only one rolling for the Hurricanes.

When Blake rang the post in the second period, I started to think the Hurricanes were going to be Wallstedt's third straight victim. The Minnesota netminder was on another planet. The Canes finally got one past him late in the third, but it didn't feel like he was going to be beaten again. A two-goal deficit felt almost insurmountable. Sebastian Aho placed a perfect transition shot past him, and Blake got one just over the line to make it three. It was a minor miracle. However, with how well he did on breakaways during regulation, there was no chance the Canes were going to beat him in the shootout. Andrei Svechnikov nearly did, but Wallstedt's glove was quicker. The rookie finished with 42 saves, and he grossly outplayed Andersen on the other side. He was very fitting of his nickname.

At the end of the day, I'll take the point, especially after trailing by two goals early in the third period. It's hard to explain, but the Canes both deserved to get two points and zero points at the same time. They outplayed the Wild in the final two periods and had the only two shots in overtime. They allowed just eight shots in the final 45 minutes of play. However, when you're outplaying a team that badly and it still takes a last-minute goal to get you a point, it means not getting a point would've made plenty of sense, too. They have three of four points on the road trip with two stops left. They have points in four straight (2-0-2) and are 6-1-2 in their last nine. There are plenty of things to improve, but it's hard to argue with results.

First Star of the Game: Jackson Blake

This might've been Jackson Blake's best game in the NHL. He was easily the Hurricanes' best player, and he has a legitimate claim to being the second-best on the ice tonight, behind Jesper Wallstedt. He was third on the team in shots (4), but it's his two goals that really stand out. He was phenomenal and is one of the only reasons the Canes managed a point in the first place. 

Next Up: The Hurricanes head to Winnipeg to begin the second half of their road trip. They'll meet the Jets on Friday night for the first of two meetings separated by eight days. The trip wraps in Buffalo on Sunday afternoon. The Canes play just one more game before Thanksgiving, hosting the Rangers next Wednesday. This begins a seven-game homestand for the group.