Newly Acquired Wild Forward Scores First With Minnesota
Mar 22, 2025; Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Wild forward Justin Brazeau (15) heads to the bench as he celebrates his goal against the Buffalo Sabres with goalie Marc-Andre Fleury (29) during the second period at Xcel Energy Center. Mandatory Credit: Nick Wosika-Imagn Images.ST. PAUL - In his eighth game with the Wild following the trade with the Boston Bruins, Justin Brazeau picked up his first goal and point in a Wild sweater.
Brazeau, 27, went to the net hard in the second period and picked up a greasy goal off his skate and into the net. There was a thought Buffalo would challenge but they didn’t.
“Yeah, I wasn’t really sure what was going on,” Brazeau said about the long review. “I knew I kind of got it with the foot a little bit. But I obviously knew I didn’t try to kick it. It was just kind of a bang-bang play. Happy it counted.”
It was the 6-foot-6 forward’s 11th goal of the season and 21st point. In his eight games with Minnesota he now has one goal, zero assists, four shots, and six hits.
“Yeah, I don’t think I’m much of a flashy shooter or anything like that,” Brazeau said on his style of game. “I know where I’m best at and I know where they want me to be. I try to be there as much as I can. Sometimes they bounce in, sometimes they don’t.”
As for the Wild's Head Coach John Hynes?
“I think any type of player comes into a new team, you wanna be able to contribute and I think he's gotten better and better and more comfortable and you start to see, at least from my standpoint, I start to see what he brings. He's a big body, he's got good hands. I think he has poise with the puck. He knows how to defend, he's a responsible player and he's good in and around the net, And we need him to be able to chip in like that throughout the line up and it was nice for him to get his first one tonight with us.”
Brazeau's first goal with the Wild came after Sabres' defenseman Jacob Bryson swatted the puck out of the air off Brazeau's skate and in the net.
Nonetheless, it was good for Brazeau and good to see him get on the board with his first in a Wild sweater.