(10-6-26) Wild Vs Sabres: Goaltending Matchup

The Minnesota Wild  (2-0-0) will turn to Jesper Wallstedt once again when they face the Buffalo Sabres (1-1-0) on Tuesday night at KeyBank Center.

Wallstedt will make his third consecutive start to open the season, while Colten Ellis will get the start for Buffalo. The Wild enter the matchup 2-0-0, while the Sabres are 1-1-0. 

Wallstedt couldn’t have asked for a much better start to the season.

The 23-year-old has won each of his first two starts while posting a 1.01 goals-against average and .957 save percentage. He has stopped 45 of the 47 shots he has faced.

Wallstedt opened the season by turning aside 19 of 20 shots in Minnesota’s 3-1 win over the Nashville Predators. He followed that performance by stopping 26 of 27 shots in Saturday’s 4-1 win over the Boston Bruins.

His strong start has helped Minnesota outscore its opponents 7-2 through two games. 

With Filip Gustavsson sidelined following offseason hip surgery, Wallstedt has been handed an early opportunity to take control of the Wild’s crease. So far, he has done exactly that.

Buffalo will counter with Ellis, who will make his first appearance of the 2026-27 season.

The 26-year-old went 8-4-2 with a 2.90 goals-against average and .903 save percentage in 16 appearances last season. He also recorded the first shutout of his NHL career.

Ellis has already seen the Wild once in his career and came away with the victory.

He stopped 22 of 24 shots in Buffalo’s 3-2 shootout win over Minnesota on Nov. 29, 2025. Ellis then stopped two of the Wild’s four shootout attempts to secure the win. 

Tuesday’s matchup therefore features a goaltender trying to continue one of the NHL’s best starts against another making his season debut.

Wallstedt will look to make it three wins in three starts and keep the Wild perfect, while Ellis will try to replicate the success he had against Minnesota last season.

Puck drop between the Wild and Sabres is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT at KeyBank Center.

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