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Marcus Foligno, Minnesota Wild (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)

3 Takeaways From Wild’s 3-2 Win Over Jets

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers
By Mariah E. Stark | Last updated Oct 1, 2025 8:25 AM ET

The Minnesota Wild took on the Winnipeg Jets to finish the home stint of their preseason on Tuesday, Sept. 30. However, the bigger news of the day was their signing of Kirill Kaprizov to an eight-year, $136 million extension. It was a long time coming for many Wild fans who hoped it’d be done back on July 1st, but now they can all breathe a sigh of relief that Kaprizov is sticking around.

Both teams had a mostly veteran-filled lineup as the preseason is quickly coming to a close. Jesper Wallstedt got the start in net for the Wild while Connor Hellebuyck was between the pipes for the Jets. The game started out in favor of the Jets, but the Wild held on, climbing back into the game twice and coming out with the 3-2 win. In this article, we’ll take a look at a few takeaways, starting with the special teams.

Wild’s Special Teams Bounce Back

After having a rough couple of games to start the preseason, both the Wild’s penalty kill and power play were successful against the Jets. Although they got down early, they climbed back into the game not once but twice. The second time was courtesy of a power play goal by Kaprizov, who tipped a Zeev Buium shot that made it 2-2.

Following that goal, the Wild kept the momentum going as Marcus Foligno got a breakaway shorthanded and scored to give his team their first lead of the game, 3-2. The penalty kill had already been having a decent night, as they’d killed off one penalty already and then scored while the second was being served, and killed off several more as the game went on.

“Yeah it was good, obviously a big emphasis on it so to get out there and get some reps, and to see some success was great,” said Boldy about the penalty kill and he continued on if any changes were made, “No not really, I think we’ve done a good job talking through it, making sure everyone’s on the same page and making the right reads and stuff…”

Wild’s Top Line

Once again, the Wild’s top line of Kaprizov, Matt Boldy, and Marco Rossi stood out as they were paired together. It took a little time to get things working, but once they did, their passes were smooth and they were fast. They got the Wild on the scoreboard with the tying goal to make it 1-1 in the first on a smooth spin-o-rama type move by Boldy along the blue line that allowed him entrance to the zone and a chance to shoot it past Hellebuyck.

The line showed the same level of chemistry they had last season when they were paired together, and while Kaprizov fits with almost anyone, Boldy and Rossi had some great passes together as well. It’s not good to have Mats Zuccarello out for as long as he is, but at least the Wild have a top line that works well together while he’s out.

“Yeah, good bounce, and I was able to kind of grab it and get it in front of me. It was a good breakout, Fabes started it….Kirill made a great play, bouncing puck, and it worked out,” said Boldy about his goal that got his team back in the game.

Wild Improving As Preseason Moves Along

The preseason may feel like it moves along fairly slowly, but for nearly all the players involved, it moves pretty fast, especially for the rookies looking to make the team. Obviously, at the beginning of the preseason, the team was pretty messy and didn’t have a lot of great chemistry. That’s normal for a team that has to use a handful of veterans and mostly newer players to see who fits where. As the games have gone by, there have been cuts made, and the team has been finding its identity and improving.

With more veterans in the lineup, the team is starting to take shape, and the game against the Jets closely resembled the roster that everyone will see on opening night, with a few tweaks. However, not all the questions are answered just yet, and head coach John Hynes spoke about having to figure some things out still following their win over the Jets.

“…so I still think we’ll still have to look at a few different things. I don’t think all the questions are answered, but I think that as we move forward, it starts to get a little bit more clear,” Hynes said in regards to having his lineup figured out for their final preseason game on Friday, Oct. 3 against the Chicago Blackhawks.

The Wild have just one more game of the preseason, and they’ll have to start figuring out who their final cuts will be. The few players left have made it difficult with their strong performances, and hopefully, whoever makes it onto the lineup will help them win some games going forward.