The most obvious benefit of having solid goaltending is it relieves your team’s goal-scorers from having to carry too much weight.

Simple math tells you that when you give up three goals, you need to score four to win. And for a Minnesota Wild team for whom the offense has not been clicking – even when starting November on a 5-1-1 streak – that’s likely too much weight to expect them to carry.

So with Jesper Wallstedt breaking out of his backup role and allowing no goals – not one – in his previous two starts, the trickle-down effect it has on the entire team’s confidence can be seen on the faces inside the winning locker room.

“It feels good when you have him playing this well. It makes the group a lot [more] confident. I mean, he’s incredible right now,” Wild rookie defenseman Zeev Bu

See Full Page