Filip Gustavsson back to his best, fourth line hustles in win over Leafs: Wild takeaways

New York Times

30-01-2025

TORONTO — The Wild know what life is like without Kirill Kaprizov, having recently played without their superstar for a month.
And with the team facing at least another 4-6 weeks with Kaprizov sidelined from surgery, Wednesday provided a template for how they can get through it.
Coach John Hynes has always said that competitiveness and work ethic are 'the engine that drives us,' and that was on full display in a 3-1 victory over the Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena. It was the Wild's first win in Toronto since 2019. Minnesota improved to a league-best 19-5-3 on the road.
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'The good thing for us is we know who we are as a team, what we are — regardless of who is in the lineup,' Hynes said. 'That's the way we need to continue to approach it.'
The Wild's fourth line was a force for them Wednesday, with Jakub Lauko, Marat Khusnutdinov and Devin Shore combining for the team's first goal, a tone-setter. The team's forecheck was strong for most of the night. Minnesota's special teams came through, too, with Jared Spurgeon scoring a power-play goal and the penalty kill shutting down the only minor against them.
Goalie Filip Gustavsson stepped up with his best performance in weeks. He stopped 32 of 33 shots, including standing tall in the last 5-6 minutes when the Leafs were really pushing.
Marcus Foligno helped seal the game with some great hustle, diving at a loose puck in the Leafs' zone to score an empty-netter in the last 15 seconds.
Lauko lamented the other day how the Wild's forecheck wasn't doing well. But Lauko and the fourth line were an absolute force and tone-setter in this victory. They got Minnesota on the board seven minutes in as Khusnutdinov carried the puck into the zone, dropping it back to Shore, who took it down behind the net. Lauko, the third wave, delivered a perfect body check on defenseman Morgan Rielly, separating him from the puck. Lauko then quickly found Khusnutdinov, who had circled into the slot for a one-timer.
It was Khusnutdinov's second goal of the season and first since Dec. 10. But it was that kind of effort that symbolized how the Wild won another tough road game.
19 ➡️ 94 ➡️ 22 🙌 pic.twitter.com/f1uNn7m3tN
— Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) January 30, 2025
This is the Gustavsson the Wild are used to seeing — the one that was team MVP candidate in the first half of the year. He stopped 32 of 33 shots for back-to-back wins after going winless in his previous five, giving up a combined 23 goals in that tough stretch.
Everything about Gustavsson was locked in. He was seeing the puck well through screens. He was not giving up any rebounds. He made the key stops, like on Max Pacioretty in the first period. He got a little lucky at times, too, like when Auston Matthews hit the post in the first, and William Nylander did the same off the rush in the second.
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But if this is the Gustavsson the Wild get down the stretch, it'll do wonders for their playoff hopes with Kaprizov out.
Yakov Trenin and Declan Chisholm returned to the lineup after being healthy scratches Sunday in Chicago — a 'reset,' as Hynes called it.
Trenin, signed to a four-year, $3.5 million AAV deal over the summer, has just eight points in 45 games this season. But it's not necessarily the production that Hynes has wanted to see more of from the hard-nosed winger.
'I'd like for him to play a fast, skating game,' Hynes said. 'I'd like to have him be a physical presence in the offensive zone, use his size, move his feet, be hard to defend, get to the inside of the ice. Those are the kinds of things that make (Trenin) a difficult player to play against. And now we need to see that on a regular basis.'
Chisholm returned to a pair with Jared Spurgeon and was on the ice for the Leafs' only goal. Midway through the third, the Leafs entered the zone on a rush. Chisholm had coverage of the front of the net, and Nylander zipped in front of him for the re-direct.
(Photo of Marat Khusnutdinov and Philippe Myers: Dan Hamilton / Imagn Images)