Columbus Blue Jackets at Minnesota Wild
· National Hockey LeagueWild hang on to beat Blue Jackets 3-2 in opener behind Boldy, Eriksson Ek and Gustavsson
Filip Gustavsson had 30 saves for the Wild, who improved to 10-1-1 in season openers on their home ice at Xcel Energy Center. Gustavsson gave up a power-play goal by Zach Werenski with 2:54 left.
Kent Johnson had a goal and an assist for the Blue Jackets, who played their first game under Evason. He was fired by the Wild about 10 1/2months ago after a 5-10-4 start last season. Evason went 147-77-27 over three-plus years with Minnesota.
Boldy scored in the first period on a no-look shot.
Eriksson Ek gave the Wild the lead back in the second period on a one-timer. He centered the second line between Boldy and Marcus Johansson, each of whom had two assists. Elvis Merzlikins stopped 23 shots.
Wild: Gustavsson had a promising start, coming off a rocky season. He'll likely be in a time share with Marc-Andre Fleury for now.
MIN leads series 1-0
Scoring Summary
Goal | 1st Period 17:51 | Matt Boldy Goal (1) Wrist Shot, assists: Marcus Johansson (1), Jonas Brodin (1) | |
Goal | 2nd Period 2:00 | Kent Johnson Goal (1) Wrist Shot, assists: Cole Sillinger (1), Damon Severson (1) | |
Goal | 2nd Period 16:35 | Joel Eriksson Ek Goal (1) Snap Shot, assists: Marcus Johansson (2), Matt Boldy (1) | |
Goal | 3rd Period 9:58 | Mats Zuccarello Goal (1) Snap Shot, assists: Matt Boldy (2), Kirill Kaprizov (1) | |
Goal | 3rd Period 17:06 | Zach Werenski Goal (1) Slap Shot, assists: Yegor Chinakhov (1), Kent Johnson (1) |
Statistics
CBJ | MIN | |
---|---|---|
8 | Blocked Shots | 18 |
20 | Hits | 14 |
1 | Takeaways | 2 |
33 | Shots | 26 |
1 | Power Play Goals | 1 |
3 | Power Play Opportunities | 3 |
33.3 | Power Play Percentage | 33.3 |
0 | Short Handed Goals | 0 |
0 | Shootout Goals | 0 |
27 | Faceoffs Won | 32 |
45.8 | Faceoff Win Percent | 54.2 |
15 | Giveaways | 11 |
3 | Total Penalties | 3 |
6 | Penalty Minutes | 6 |
Game Information
Location: Saint Paul, MN
Attendance: 18,613 | Capacity:
Location: Saint Paul, MN
Attendance: 18,613 | Capacity:
2024-25 Metropolitan Division Standings
TEAM | W | L | PTS | OTL |
---|---|---|---|---|
New Jersey | 11 | 6 | 24 | 2 |
Carolina | 11 | 4 | 22 | 0 |
Washington | 10 | 4 | 21 | 1 |
NY Rangers | 9 | 4 | 19 | 1 |
NY Islanders | 6 | 6 | 16 | 4 |
Pittsburgh | 6 | 9 | 15 | 3 |
Philadelphia | 6 | 8 | 14 | 2 |
Columbus | 5 | 8 | 12 | 2 |
2024-25 Central Division Standings
TEAM | W | L | PTS | OTL |
---|---|---|---|---|
Winnipeg | 15 | 1 | 30 | 0 |
Minnesota | 10 | 2 | 23 | 3 |
Dallas | 9 | 5 | 18 | 0 |
Colorado | 9 | 8 | 18 | 0 |
Utah | 7 | 6 | 17 | 3 |
St. Louis | 7 | 9 | 14 | 0 |
Chicago | 6 | 9 | 13 | 1 |
Nashville | 5 | 9 | 12 | 2 |