SUNRISE, Fla. — Filip Gustavsson showcased an impressive performance to maintain his strong start to the season, recording 24 saves as the Minnesota Wild triumphed over the Florida Panthers with a score of 5-1 on Tuesday night.
Jake Middleton contributed significantly with three assists, matching his career high, while Mats Zuccarello scored his fourth goal of the season, leading the team. Other contributors to the Wild’s scoring included Marcus Johansson, Marco Rossi, Matt Boldy, and Joel Eriksson Ek. Rossi and Johansson found the net just 22 seconds apart in the first period, establishing a 2-0 lead that expanded to 5-1 by the end of the second frame.
For Florida, Sam Bennett managed to net his fifth goal of the season with an assist from Matthew Tkachuk, who made his return after missing five games due to illness. Prior to the match, the Panthers also revealed that head coach Paul Maurice had signed a contract extension.
Key points to note include Gustavsson’s stellar record of 4-0-1 for the season, having surrendered only seven goals on 145 shots so far. This statistic reveals that he has allowed just one more goal than the total number scored by the Wild’s offense.
On the other hand, goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky endured a challenging night, conceding five goals on just 16 shots, leading to his removal from the game in favor of Spencer Knight after the second period. Bobrovsky is on the verge of achieving a career milestone, needing just one more win to reach 400 victories, making him the 14th goaltender in history to do so.
A pivotal moment in the game was Eriksson Ek’s goal with 3:55 remaining in the second period, extending Minnesota’s lead to 5-1. This represented the Wild’s largest margin in Sunrise since an earlier 6-2 advantage back in October 2008.
In terms of performance metrics, the Wild (4-0-2, 10 points) have managed to secure at least one point in all of their first six games. This is notable since their last comparable stretch occurred in the 2008-09 season (5-0-1, 11 points).
Looking ahead, Minnesota will play its fifth match in a seven-game road series on Thursday against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Meanwhile, Florida will embark on a three-game road trip with a visit to the New York Rangers on the same day, followed by games in Finland against the Dallas Stars on November 1 and 2. The Panthers are scheduled to return home to Sunrise on November 7.