Jesper Wallstedt’s 26 saves and Minnesota’s power-play finish powered a 5-1 road win that snapped Washington’s three-game streak.
Minnesota beat Washington 5-1 at Capital One Arena, handing the Capitals their first loss after three straight wins. Maxim Shabanov scored Minnesota’s power-play goal, while Kirill Kaprizov, Quinn Hughes and Michael McCarron also found the net for the Wild. Joel Eriksson Ek set up two goals, finishing with two assists, a plus-1 rating and three shots. Justin Sourdif scored Washington’s lone goal on two shots and added three hits. Jesper Wallstedt stopped 26 of 27 shots for a .963 save percentage, while Logan Thompson made 24 saves on 28 shots for an .857 save percentage. Minnesota’s 22 hits and 20 blocked shots helped secure the result, while Washington recorded 24 hits and 18 blocks.
Key Performers
Jesper Wallstedt, MIN: 26 saves on 27 shots, .963 save percentage. Joel Eriksson Ek, MIN: 2 assists, 2 points, plus-1, 3 shots. Maxim Shabanov, MIN: 1 goal, 1 power-play goal, 4 shots, 2 hits.
Standings Impact
Minnesota improves to 10-3-3 with 23 points; Washington falls to 8-5-0 and remains at 16 points.
DYMA Insight
The No. 2 Wild, with an 85.5 power index, beat the No. 9 Capitals (72.2) by four goals. Minnesota entered with a one-game losing streak and Washington with a three-game winning streak; the result flipped both teams’ recent momentum.