5 observations from Minnesota Wild's season-opening 2-0 shutout win over Panthers

ST. PAUL — The Minnesota Wild opened up their season on a high note with a 2-0 shutout win over last season's Stanley Cup runner up in the Florida Panthers inside Xcel Energy Center on Thursday.

Related Reading: Wild's youngsters shine in win over Florida

The Wild, who started 1-3-1 last season, will look to continue their momentum on their two-game road trip, where they will face the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday night and Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday night.

Here are five observations from last night's win:

Wild need Jared Spurgeon back — While the Wild got the result they wanted, they were heavily outplayed and outshot by Florida. The Wild felt the absence of Spurgeon, plain and simple. The Panthers had a significant edge in shots (28-11), scoring chances (27-14), high-danger chances (11-2) and 78 percent of the expected goal share at five-on-five, according to Natural Stat Trick. 

The Wild were ultimately bailed out by Filip Gustavsson time and time again. With Spurgeon's return not expected until later this month, the Wild have to tighten up with another Eastern Conference juggernaut in the Maple Leafs next on their schedule.

Gustavsson impresses — Gustavsson removed any doubts in his 41-save shutout performance about whether he could continue his strong play from last season. Gustavsson broke out in the 2022-23 campaign with a .932 save percentage (behind only Vezina Trophy Winner Linus Ullmark) in 37 starts. 

And he looked like the same calm and composed goalie last night.

Gustavsson made five important, timely saves on the penalty kill in the third period and finished with 14 high-danger saves in the game, according to Natural Stat Trick. Gustavsson didn't just help the Wild win, he stole the show by saving 3.23 goals above expected, according to Evolving-Hockey. The three-year deal worth $3.75 million annually he signed this summer looks like it could be a steal for the Wild.

"It gives you a lot of confidence as a defenseman when you see your goalie playing the way he was, and the way he always plays since I’ve been here," Brock Faber said of Gustavsson. "It makes our job very easy. Obviously we hope to support him a little more in the next few here."

Faber finds the back of the net — Known as a defensive stalwart, Faber made sure to jump up into the play and be active offensively on Thursday, something the Wild want to see him do more of. His reward for it was his first NHL goal — beating Sergei Bobrovsky blocker side from the point — and the Wild's first goal of the 2023-24 season.

"Obviously just glad we got the win there, but a really cool moment for me and for my family," Faber said. "Yeah, it's really cool."

Head coach Dean Evason on Faber: "He's just a very intelligent hockey player."

Marco Rossi has strong start — The Wild's top forward prospect and 22-year-old rookie found the back of the net on Thursday night, but his goal would be waived off due to Marcus Foligno being offside. 

Rossi, who is still searching for his first NHL goal, has made postive strides over the past year, and that's been on display over the past month. His game looks more durable and ready for the NHL level this time around. While Rossi didn't make it on the scoresheet Thursday night, he finished with a team-high 71.59 expected goals percentage in all situations, according to Natural Stat Trick.

"It's his confidence," Evason said. "He's playing with intensity. He's playing with bite and his confidence is really high. Looking forward to him continuing to play like that."

Eriksson Ek on Rossi: "He plays great, strong with the puck and great chances. I’m sure he’s going to get his goals."

Wild penalty kill finishes perfect — The Wild, who had the 10th best ranked penalty kill last season at 82 percent, went 3-for-3 on the penalty kill and limited the the Panthers to just two shots on their first two power plays. Florida did record five shots on its third-period man advantage, but failed to find the back of the net.

"Our sticks were really good," Evason said of the penalty kill. "We didn't give that second, third opportunity in front of the net with our commitment to keep people away from the net. Gus had to make a couple saves and then we were able to move pucks out."

The Wild allowed nine power play goals in their six-game playoff series against the Dallas Stars in April. So it's a positive sign that Minnesota stood tall against an offensive heavyweight like the Panthers.

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