ST. LOUIS — Filip Gustavsson, the goalie for the Minnesota Wild, took advantage of a rare opportunity during his team’s 4-1 victory over the St. Louis Blues. The 26-year-old goalie made history by scoring a goal himself, a feat that is quite uncommon in hockey. With only 8.1 seconds remaining in the game, Gustavsson caught a shot from Pavel Buchnevich at the blue line, dropped it onto his stick, and effortlessly flicked it into the empty net.
“They were likely trying to force us into a faceoff in our zone, but they sent the shot straight to my glove, and I quickly aimed to drop it,” Gustavsson explained. “It landed perfectly on the ice, and I just gave it my best shot.”
This goal marked Gustavsson’s first ever at any level, as well as the inaugural goalie goal in the history of the Wild franchise. Considering the prospect of scoring, he had a quick discussion with teammate Marc-Andre Fleury during a timeout with 34 seconds to go. “Flower looked at the score and encouraged me, saying, ‘We’re up by two goals; you should go for it. If there’s an opening, shoot it,’” Gustavsson shared. “I thought, ‘Yeah, maybe I should give it a try.’”
With this achievement, Gustavsson became the 15th goalie in NHL history to score a goal and the first since Tristan Jarry of Pittsburgh did it on November 20, 2023, against Tampa Bay. Furthermore, he is only the third goalie to score on a power play, following in the footsteps of Evgeni Nabokov from San Jose in March 2002 and New Jersey’s Martin Brodeur in March 2013.
John Hynes, the Wild’s coach, recalled witnessing another goalie goal during his tenure with the Nashville Predators when Pekka Rinne scored against Chicago on January 9, 2020. “It was quite similar to Gus’s situation, with both instances occurring in a six-on-five scenario where the goalie had time to make the play,” Hynes noted. “You could tell both goalies were really going for it, so it was fantastic to see.”
The celebration following the goal was joyous, with Gustavsson performing a flyby past the Wild bench. “It was unbelievable,” said Wild center Jakub Lauko. “It would have been even more enjoyable if we were home with a packed arena, but it remains an incredible moment. I’m genuinely happy for him.”
Gustavsson’s performance in the game included 27 saves, contributing to his impressive start this season, with a record of 2-0-1. He has successfully stopped 91 out of 96 shots faced, achieving a remarkable save percentage of .948. His contributions come at a crucial time for Minnesota, which is grappling with several significant injuries and recently embarked on a challenging seven-game road trip.
“I don’t think I’m doing anything spectacular right now,” Gustavsson said modestly. “I’m not being flashy. Sure, I’m making some important saves, but that’s usually when I’ve lost my position. I focus on being in the right spot most of the time and making the routine saves, which has been working quite well so far.”