Boldy and Eriksson Ek Propel Wild to Season-Opening Win Against Ex-Coach Evason and the Blue Jackets

Thursday, October 10th, 2024

In their season opener against the Columbus Blue Jackets, Minnesota saw goals from Matt Boldy and Joel Eriksson Ek, with Mats Zuccarello contributing a power-play goal. Filip Gustavsson made an impressive 30 saves, leading the Wild to a 3-2 victory. For Columbus, Kent Johnson scored once and assisted, marking the first game under their new coach, Dean Evason, who had been previously dismissed by Minnesota.

Boldy scored with a no-look shot during the first period, and Eriksson Ek restored the Wild's lead in the second period. Columbus goaltender Elvis Merzlikins managed to stop 23 shots.

Filip Gustavsson showed promise in goal for the Wild, although the team is expected to split goaltending responsibilities between him and Marc-Andre Fleury for the time being.

James van Riemsdyk's second-period goal was nullified for Columbus after a successful interference challenge by the Wild.

Both the Blue Jackets and the Wild are expansion teams with a combined total of five playoff series victories over 46 seasons.

Looking ahead, the Blue Jackets will head to Colorado on Saturday, while the Wild are set to host Seattle before embarking on a stretch of seven consecutive road games.

Minnesota Wild vs Columbus Blue Jackets Game Stats

Related Links

• Minnesota Wild News & Updates
• Minnesota Wild Schedule & Scores
• Columbus Blue Jackets News & Updates
• Columbus Blue Jackets Schedule & Scores
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