Jesper Wallstedt started for Minnesota on April 7 as the Wild hosted Seattle at 7:00 p.m., with Minnesota trying to keep its place in the Western Conference race and the Kraken trying to stop a slide that has dragged on for weeks.
Minnesota came in on a three-game win streak after beating Ottawa and Detroit on a back-to-back road trip, and it was two points behind the Dallas Stars before a Thursday night meeting in Dallas that was scheduled to be the teams’ final game against each other this season. Seattle arrived on a five-game losing streak, had dropped four straight in regulation, was outscored 22-8 during the skid and had gone 0-for-12 on the power play while giving up eight power-play goals on 16 chances.
The matchup also put Wallstedt’s recent form back in the spotlight. He had won his previous two starts with a 1.50 goals-against average and a.944 save percentage, and he had already beaten Seattle 3-2 on Jan. 8 by stopping 26 of 28 shots. Entering Monday’s game, he was 6-1-3 with a 2.44 goals-against average, a.920 save percentage and three shutouts in 10 starts against Pacific Division opponents this season. If he won again, he would set the franchise record for most wins in a season by a rookie goaltender with 17.
Seattle turned to Joey Daccord as the expected starter after he came on in relief for Philipp Grubauer in Winnipeg the night before. Daccord’s recent numbers showed how hard the stretch has been: he was 1-6-1 with a 4.22 goals-against average and a.854 save percentage over his last eight starts entering the game.
Minnesota’s attack had been carrying the club through its rise. Ryan Hartman had a point in six consecutive games and multiple points in four straight, while Kirill Kaprizov had scored in four consecutive games after a hat trick and the game-winning goal against Detroit on Sunday. Mats Zuccarello also came in hot, with four consecutive multi-point games and 12 points in his previous 10 games. Each had strong history against Seattle, with Hartman collecting 13 points in 12 career games, Kaprizov posting 17 points in 11, and Zuccarello totaling 14 points in 13.
For Minnesota, the night was about more than one home game. The Wild were chasing the second seed in the Western Conference and the home ice that would come with it in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. For Seattle, the task was simpler and more immediate: find a way to end a slump that has left little margin for error and exposed a power play and goaltending mix that had not held up.
