Takeaways: It’s another shutout for Jesper Wallstedt as Wild blank Oilers 1-0

EDMONTON, Alberta – The Wild didn’t make the same mistake twice.

After their seven-game win streak was ended by the struggling Sabres, the Wild got back to business and blanked the Oilers 1-0 Tuesday night at Rogers Place to avoid losing to another down team.

Jesper Wallstedt continued his remarkable run, stopping 33 shots for his league-leading fourth shutout after he was named the NHL’s rookie of the month for November.

“This is pretty fun,” Wallstedt said. “We’re playing great. The way we defend and our structure in our ‘D’ zone right now, the way guys sacrifice themselves, like I always say, it’s a team effort, and the way we’ve been playing lately in our zone has been nothing else but spectacular.”

Wallstedt is on a seven-game win streak and improved to 8-0-2 overall in his debut season as the Wild backup goaltender; he’s the third rookie goalie in the last 45 years to begin the season with a point streak of at least 10 games.

Defenseman Jonas Brodin provided the only offense the Wild needed, connecting on a one-timer in the first period that flew by Edmonton goalie Stuart Skinner (23 saves).

Since Nov. 7, the Wild are 10-0-2 for a 12-game point streak.

He’s the first NHL goalie in more than 61 years and only the seventh since 1929-30 to have five shutouts by his 10th career win. Wallstedt, who was drafted in the first round by the Wild in 2021, picked up his first shutout in his first victory two seasons ago.

In NHL history, only Eveleth native Frank Brimsek required fewer games than Wallstedt’s 15 to post five career shutouts; Brimsek hit the mark in nine.

As they usually do, the Oilers had a ho-hum start to the season, but Edmonton still hasn’t taken off to resemble the team that advanced to the last two Stanley Cup Finals before losing to Florida.

Even with superstars Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl centering different lines, the Oilers weren’t much of a threat early. Cue the Wild, who capitalized on a Brodin point shot 13 minutes, 11 seconds into the first period after he walked into a faceoff win by Nico Sturm.

“We had ‘D’ shot called before,” Sturm said. “But obviously you don’t always get it on a tee for a D-man like that.”

Brodin went on to play a season-high 25:46 and had four shot blocks.

“He was phenomenal,” Brock Faber said. “It jut felt like he got a stick on everything. It felt like he blocked everything. Didn’t make any mistakes.

“It was fun to be his ‘D’ partner tonight. It was very easy for me.”

Edmonton was better in the second, but Wallstedt denied all 15 shots he faced — including the three pucks that reached him on two power plays for the Oilers; Ryan Hartman, who was elevated to the top line with Danila Yurov out with a lower-body injury suffered in the Nov. 26 win at Chicago, was whistled for hooking and tripping.

Wallstedt’s best save of the night came during the first power play when Zach Hyman tried to backhand the puck around a sprawled Wallstedt, but Wallstedt’s right pad got in the way.

The 3-for-3 effort by the Wild after a late penalty kill in the final minute of the third period extended their perfect run, as they’re 19-for-19 over their past seven games; their power play finished 0-for-2.

“The structure we have and the way we’re killing right now, we kind of know where their threats are,” Wallstedt said. “Obviously, the way we pre-scout before we know what their power play wants to kind of do, and from there on I just try to make reads and play my game.”

The Wild continue to dominate this Western Conference matchup vs. the Oilers: They’ve won 12 of the last 16 games.

The Wild are quick learners.

Over the weekend, coach John Hynes pointed out the discrepancy between a statement victory over first-place Colorado and the letdown the next night in a shootout loss to Buffalo and how that’s where the Wild can still grow as a group: by committing to the same game every game.

“They’re tough to play against,” Brodin said, referring to McDavid and Draisaitl. “But it’s also fun at the same time.”

Kudos to Wallstedt, since he set the tone for this performance with how well he tracked pucks.

He joined Boston’s Jeremy Swayman as the second rookie netminder in the last five years to go on a win streak of at least seven games, and Wallstedt is the fourth rookie in league history and first in 87 years to rattle off four shutouts in a six-game span.

“Even when there’s traffic and there’s confrontations in the net, he’s solid,” Hynes said. “He goes down and stays down on rebounds and because he’s so big, he’s not swimming around like a fish in there.

“He’s just really solid and blocking in those situations.”

“Now it’s off to start a new streak,” Sturm said.