Wild's Goaltending Among the NHL's Elite

That's Wild

• It is somewhat remarkable just how the Minnesota Wild's goaltending has turned a corner and while it has been mainly powered by rookie sensation Jesper Wallstedt coming into his own, Filip Gustavsson is of course no slouch either. This powerful tandem has gotten the Wild out of some sticky situations and have been pushing the team to a whole lot of wins. And because of that, in the latest goaltending tandem rankings over at The Athletic, the Wild were ranked at No. 2 in the entire NHL. Only the New York Rangers' Igor Shesterkin and the bounceback Jonathan Quick have been better according to this ranking. [The Athletic]
• When the Wild took Charlie Stramel late in the first round a couple years ago, there were some concerns that they reached on a center with size and they would come to regret it. Well, after taking a couple seasons to truly come into his own, Stramel is one of the best centers in all of college hockey while playing for the top-ranked Michigan State. [Hockey Wilderness]
• Kirill Kaprizov is really establishing himself as a thorn in one team's side and it is the perfect opponent. [Hockey Wilderness]
• To close out 2025, the Wild are searching for consistency and it doesn't matter what level of opponent is in front of them. [StarTribune]

Off the trail...

• Monday night's bout between the New Jersey Devils and the Columbus Blue Jackets was a trainwreck. A whole lot of fights and the most notable one left defenseman Brendan Dillon on the ice unconscious. Devils head coach Sheldon Keefe was furious after the game saying that his guy would never do that to another player, so it was unjust that it happened to him. [TheScore]
• Kyle Palmieri made the most "hockey play" of the century, and it was probably the highlight (if we want to call it that) of last week. [ESPN]
• It's sometimes fine to cheer for players on other teams. Something everyone can agree on is that they want to see Josh Norris healthy, as he's dealt with injury troubles his entire career. Well, in his return from another absence due to injury, the Buffalo Sabres centerman scored two goals over the Winnipeg Jets. [NHL.com]