Wild shut out Caps behind Wallstedt's 26 saves

Minnesota goaltender Jesper Wallstedt stopped 26 shots on Sunday, Nov. 1, as the Wild defeated the Washington Capitals 5-1 at Capital One Arena. The victory extends Minnesota's road winning streak to four games.

Wallstedt improved his season record to 9-2-3 with the performance. The goalie has appeared in all but two games for the Wild this season. His current run mirrors his performance a year ago when he went 6-0-0 with three shutouts to help turn the team's season around.

The Wild established control early in the first period. Quinn Hughes scored the team's fifth goal of the season and his third in his last four games. Michael McCarron added a goal 1:45 later to give Minnesota a 2-0 lead after the first period.

Washington pushed back in the second period, outshooting the Wild and keeping Wallstedt busy. Logan Thompson made a toe save on a backhander from Kirill Kaprizov before the first intermission to keep the deficit at two goals. A deflected shot slipped past Wallstedt with less than five seconds left in the second period to make the score 2-1 entering the second intermission.

Coach John Hynes noted that the Capitals generated pressure with strong shots around the net. He said the team had good looks and relied on Wallstedt to make big saves. Wallstedt stated that the team expected the Capitals to throw pucks on net from anywhere and that they stuck to their game plan without getting stressed.

Maxim Shabanov and Danila Yurov scored late power-play goals to increase the Wild's lead. Kirill Kaprizov added an empty-netter to ice the game. The goal marked his 15th of the season, an NHL best, and his 500th career point. Thompson finished with 24 saves for the Capitals.

The Wild will face the Philadelphia Flyers in Philadelphia on Election Night. Washington will visit St. Paul for their only trip there this season on March 7.