Can an undefeated rookie steal the show? Wallstedt faces Skinner in a battle of contrasting goalie performances tonight.
The Minnesota Wild (14-7-5) is on the road to kick off a four-game road trip that begins tonight against the Edmonton Oilers (11-10-4).
Here is tonight's starting goaltending matchup.
The Wild will continue with the goalie rotation tonight. Jesper Wallstedt will start. The goalie rotation is now up to 11 consecutive games.
Wallstedt, 23, is one of the best goaltenders in the league right now. He is 7-0-2 on the season with a 1.93 goals-against average and a .938 save percentage. He leads the NHL in save percentage and shutouts with three.
He has never faced the Oilers in his career. As we mentioned in the previous story, Wallstedt was almost an Oiler prospect.
Stuart Skinner will start for the Oilers. He will make his fourth consecutive start tonight. He is 9-7-3 on the year with a 3.00 goals-against average and a .885 save percentage with two shutouts. Last year, Skinner stopped 21-of-26 shots faced for Edmonton in last year's one start against the Wild.
In his career, Skinner is 2-2-0 with a 3.04 goals-against average and a .900 save percentage in four career starts vs. the Wild
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com.
