Goalie Filip Gustavsson of the Minnesota Wild took advantage of a unique opportunity to make history with the team.. In a 4-1 victory over the St. Louis Blues, Gustavsson became the first goaltender in the Wild’s history to score a goal, capping off a memorable performance.
A Rare Feat on the Ice
With only 8.1 seconds left in the game, Gustavsson deflected a shot from Pavel Buchnevich of the Blues, put the puck to his stick, and sent it skyward. With a smooth move across the ice and into an empty net, Minnesota won the game. "They probably expected me to freeze the puck and earn a faceoff, but I spotted the opportunity and just went for it," Gustavsson said in describing the incident. I shot as hard as I could, and it hit the target perfectly."
This was a momentous occasion for the Wild franchise and Gustavsson's first goal at any level. The 26-year-old joined an exclusive club when he became the 15th goaltender in NHL history to score a goal. Tristan Jarry of Pittsburgh became the last goaltender to accomplish this in November 2023. Even more astonishingly, Gustavsson's goal was scored during a power play—only the third time in NHL history—after Evgeni Nabokov's 2002 and Martin Brodeur's 2013 goals.
A Plan in Motion
Gustavsson claims that the idea to try a goalkeeper goal was not entirely spontaneous. Colleague and fellow goalie Marc-Andre Fleury encouraged him to seize the opportunity if it came up during a Blues stoppage with just 34 seconds left."The blossom looked at the scoreboard and advised me to go for it because we are down by two. And I considered, perhaps I ought to," Gustavsson said.
After watching Pekka Rinne score a goalkeeper goal in 2020 while he was coaching the Nashville Predators, head coach of the Wild John Hynes contrasted the two accomplishments. According to Hynes, "the situation was the same—a 6-on-5 with the puck added." "Knowing exactly what they were doing, both men went for it." It is pretty amazing to repeatedly witness such events.
Celebrations and Reactions
The Wild bench erupted in joy of the amazing performance as Gustavsson skated by."It was amazing," said teammate Jakub Lauko, adding to the excitement. This is such a great moment, so even though we would have like to be at home with a packed arena, I am incredibly delighted for him."
Gustavsson remained humble about his work in spite of the attention. Right now, I do not think I have done anything particularly noteworthy," he remarked. "My only worries are setting myself appropriately and making boring saves."The plan appears to be effective thus far."
A Stellar Start to the Season
Along with his historic goal, Gustavsson improved his season record to 2-0-1 versus the Blues by making 27 saves. Having faced 96 shots, he has stopped 91 of them, displaying an outstanding.948 save percentage. For the Wild, who are juggling a demanding seven-game road trip while tending to numerous critical injuries, his good performances have been essential.
Gustavsson's composure and play have given Minnesota much-needed stability in goal as the team continues its difficult run of games.
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