The Minnesota Wild (23-10-6) probably shouldn’t have been in the game against the Winnipeg Jets (15-17-4) on Saturday. They were because Jesper Wallstedt was.

Winnipeg took over in the second period when the Wild broke down. The Jets seemed to have the puck more, spent more time in the offensive zone, and created the kinds of looks that usually decide games well before overtime.

There were stretches where it felt like a goal was coming. On most nights, that pressure turns into five or six goals.

It didn’t because Wallstedt was the reason.

This wasn’t one of those quiet games where a goalie sees a lot of shots from the outside and stays comfortable. Winnipeg broke Minnesota down more than once, and Wallstedt erased it anyway. He calmed the game down and kept the Wild in it.

The Jets didn't really out-chance the Wild or have more expected goals, but when they had their chances they were high-danger and Wallstedt stood tall.

"I thought overall most of the game was a tight-fought match," Wallstedt said. "Obviously at the end of the second we kind of made some small mistakes and they ended up capitalizing on their chances. But I thought the game overall was tight throughout."

Wallstedt keeping them in it matted and it especially mattered late in the game.

With the Wild’s net empty, Winnipeg took a penalty that completely changed the situation. Instead of chasing a goal at six-on-five, Minnesota suddenly had a better chance.

With 22 seconds left, it cashed in. Tie game. Mats Zuccarello.

Winnipeg nearly ended it early in the extra frame. Another look and another chance that probably finishes the game most nights. Wallstedt shut it down again. No rebound. No scramble. Just a save that kept the door open one more time.

Seconds later, the Wild had the puck going the other way after Wallstedt got rid of it.

Kirill Kaprizov, Matt Boldy, and Quinn Hughes then took control and ended it quickly.

That sequence between the trio will get the highlight. It should. But it doesn’t happen without everything that came before it like Wallstedt's save.

Wallstedt didn’t steal the win in overtime. He earned Minnesota the chance to win it at all. And when that chance finally came, the Wild’s best players didn’t waste it.

Wallstedt, 23, is now 11-2-2 on the year with a 2.16 goals-against average and a league-leading .931 save percentage in 15 games.

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