Mn Wild Top Avalanche 5-2 as Filip Gustavsson’s 44 Saves and Matthew Boldy’s Shorthanded Goal Decide
The Mn Wild beat the Colorado Avalanche 5-2 on 02/26/2026, a win that hinged on a 44-save performance by goaltender Filip Gustavsson and late goals from Matthew Boldy. The victory matters because it extended Minnesota’s winning streak to six games and kept pressure on Colorado in the Central Division race.
Filip Gustavsson’s 44-save effort
Filip Gustavsson, the Wild’s starting goaltender, finished with 44 saves in the game and was described by teammate Quinn Hughes as "He's a beast. " Coach John Hynes called it "a real gutty performance. " Gustavsson battled an illness late in the game and left with about one minute remaining after vomiting in his crease; Hynes said Gustavsson was not sick earlier in the day and the problem mostly occurred in the third period. Gustavsson’s saves during stretches when Colorado poured on shots—when the Avalanche took nine of the first 10 shots and later 11 of the first 13 in the third—kept Minnesota in the contest and allowed the team to build offensively.
Matthew Boldy’s shorthanded strike and late empty-netters
Matthew Boldy recorded a goal, including a shorthanded goal, and finished with two late empty-netters to seal the 5-2 final. Boldy emphasized team development after the game, saying it wasn’t about catching other teams but "growing our game to get it to the best place it can possibly be, " and stressing the need to keep improving, stay together and find ways to string wins together. He also noted, "We got a lot to the net, that was the biggest thing, we had a lot of volume. We got pucks back, made them"—the remainder of that comment is unclear in the provided context.
Joel Eriksson Ek’s power-play production
Joel Eriksson Ek scored two goals, both on the power play, and one of his shots/centering attempts redirected off the pad of Mackenzie Blackwood to give Minnesota a 2-1 lead. Eriksson Ek said Gustavsson "made some saves that kept us calm and we could start building, " underscoring the link between his teammate’s goaltending and the team’s ability to convert on special teams.
Five-on-three sequence and special teams swing
Power-play play defined a major stretch of the game. Colorado took six of the first seven penalties, creating extended advantage time for Minnesota late in the second period. The Wild were initially set to have 1: 12 of a 5-on-3, but a delay-of-game penalty on Brent Burns four seconds into that sequence increased the two-man advantage to 1: 54. Minnesota generated several close chances, including point-blank looks from Quinn Hughes and Boldy, and Hynes called a timeout during the sequence partly to rest his top unit, which had already been on the ice for 48 seconds, and to remind players of their setups after not working on 5-on-3 scenarios since before the Olympic break. What makes this notable is how a short officiating moment—the Burns penalty—directly extended Minnesota’s power-play window and produced the decisive goal.
Mats Zuccarello, lineup notes and standings impact
Mats Zuccarello also scored for the Wild against Mackenzie Blackwood. Minnesota’s 5-2 victory pushed the club to a six-game winning streak and a 9-1-1 run that spans games before the Olympic break. The Wild sit five points behind the Avalanche for first place in the Central Division; Colorado holds two games in hand. The teams are scheduled to meet again in Denver next weekend.
Practice and postgame comments at TRIA Rink and Olympic break talk
Players and staff spoke to media after the win and during the week. Coach Jack Capuano and others chatted with media following practice at TRIA Rink on Wednesday. "Gus Bus" (a nickname for Gustavsson) also spoke with the media after practice, and Joel "Ekky" Eriksson Ek addressed reporters following practice as well. Ahead of the matchup, coach and several players, including Quinn Hughes, Matthew Boldy and a person listed as Fabes, discussed the Olympic Gold Medal win when talking about coming out of the break; coach comments framed the game as part of the team’s post-break ramp-up.
The sequence of Gustavsson’s performance, Eriksson Ek’s two power-play goals, Boldy’s shorthanded and empty-net strikes, and the extended 5-on-3 that altered momentum combined for a statement win for Minnesota on 02/26/2026.
