Nov 19, 2025; Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Wild goaltender Jesper Wallstedt (30) celebrates after making the game winning save against Carolina Hurricanes left wing Taylor Hall (71) in the overtime shootout at Grand Casino Arena. Mandatory Credit: Matt Blewett-Imagn Images Matt Blewett-Imagn Images

Wild Have Their Goalie of the Future

Originally posted on Breakaway on SI | By Seth Dowdle | Last updated Nov 21, 2025 7:00 AM ET

When Jesper Wallstedt hit his signature celebration following the Minnesota Wild's 4-3 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes, the entirety of Grand Casino Arena knew that they were witnessing something special.

The Wild had opened the scoring and controlled the entirety of the game – at least on the scoreboard – but the Hurricanes had mounted a furious rally and constantly were knocking on the door of capturing the win for themselves. In fact, Carolina had tied the game late, which sent the game to an overtime that not many folks believed possible after how the contest had started. Nonetheless, that was the situation, and the Wild were in need of a hero.

Enter Jesper Wallstedt. The Hurricanes continuously peppered him with shots all night – Carolina outshot Minnesota 45-19. Still, Wallstedt held fast, especially in overtime where the Hurricanes got two grade A chances but could not convert.

Jesper freaking Wallstedt pic.twitter.com/BioCvRUU5A
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) November 20, 2025

With no score in the extra five minutes, the game went to a shootout. That is where Wallstedt's star shone the brightest. He stopped Seth Jarvis' wrist shot from reaching the back of the net. He then prevented Andrei Svechnikov from scoring, too. Then, after Matt Boldy had put the Wild on the board in the shootout, he came up with his biggest save yet on Taylor Hall. That sent the Minnesota crowd into a frenzy. Wallstedt, who saved a career-high 42 shots, had just single-handedly provided the Wild with an improbable win.

He's One of the Best Goalies in the League

Wallstedt was selected 20th overall in the 2021 NHL Draft but had not really made his name known until this season. With his excellent performance against the Hurricanes, the 23-year-old from Sweden now owns the best save percentage in the NHL among qualified goalies at .926. His goals-against average of 2.20 is also up there with some of the best netminders in the sport.

This dominance has been especially true over his last three games. Against the Calgary Flames, Anaheim Ducks and the Carolina Hurricanes, Wallstedt has faced 109 shots and saved 106. All three of those goals came against the Hurricanes, with the performances versus Calgary and Anaheim both being shutouts, just the second and third time he has ever had a clean sheet in his NHL career.

What might be even more impressive is Wallstedt's shutout streak that ended against the Hurricanes. For 175:12 of game action, which began during his start against the New York Islanders on Nov. 7, Wallstedt held opponents scoreless. It is the longest shutout sequence by a rookie since John Gibson of the Anaheim Ducks did it for 184:30 from Dec. 27, 2015 to Jan. 3, 2016.

All in all, Wallstedt has been stellar in between the poles, and if his performance keeps up like this, then the Wild will be in good hands at the goalie position for a very long time.

This article first appeared on Breakaway on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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