Special teams on a special night delivered the Minnesota Wild Saturday's 3-0 victory at Vancouver.
Winger Matt Boldy's first-period, power-play goal and center Connor Dewar's second-period shorthanded goal provided a lead the Wild never surrendered — not on a night when goalkeeper Filip Gustavsson stopped all 35 shots he turned away for his first NHL career shutout.
Sam Steel added one more goal midway through the third period, just in case.
All three goals came in Edina's own and former Gopher Sammy Walker's NHL debut.
He helped create Boldy's goal and just missed scoring his first NHL goal when his breakaway shot in the third period went just over the crossbar.
Wild star Kirill Kaprizov's franchise-record, consecutive-point streak ended at 14 games.
Meanwhile, the Wild ended a four-game trip 2-2 after it won at Dallas in a shootout and lost at Calgary and Edmonton before Saturday's victory. It now heads home for a four-game home-stand starting Monday.
On Friday, the Wild surrendered two power-plays and an open-net goal in a 5-2 loss to the Edmonton Oilers.
On Saturday, Boldy and Dewar scored late in a period, all their team needed.
Boldy's goal on a one-timer rebound low in the right circle came at 16:43 in that first period and was his 10th this season, third most on the team.
Wild defenseman Calen Addison assisted on it in his returned to Saturday's lineup after he was a healthy scratch for the first time this season Friday in Edmonton. Alex Goligoski came out to make room for Addison.
Addison's 15 points this season – two goals, 13 assists – are fifth most among NHL rookies and second among rookies in assists. He also leads all rookies with 11 power-play points, all assists.
Dewar's goal unassisted at 16:08 in that second period made it 2-0 after his team had just been penalized three times in succession, the last for too many men on the ice.
It also came only a couple hours after Wild coach Dean Evason lamented his team's penalty-killing in Edmonton after it had been so good most of the season.
It was Dewar's third shorthanded goal this season – his fourth overall — and the Wild's sixth shorthanded goal this season. His four shorthanded points – an assist to go with the three goals – leads the NHL this season.
"I've killed penalties my whole life," Dewar said in a Bally Sports North second-intermission interview. "I'm kind of looking to make a career of it, so I hope it keeps going."
The Wild on Friday recalled Walker from Iowa in the AHL and reassigned forward Joseph Cramarossa there.
It did so after Walker played in 21 games in Iowa this season and arrived in Minnesota leading all AHL rookies in scoring and tied for first among all AHL rookies in goal. He led Iowa in points (22), goals (11) and power-play goals (six).
He made that NHL debut on a line with Boldy and Frederick Gaudreau.
"We're looking for him to provide some energy," Evason told reporters before Saturday's game. "He has really played well. We walk a lot about deserving and earning his right to be here and he has had. He's going to play. We'd like to his speed to bring us an element on that line…
"We want him to play hockey. There's a reason he's here. We don't want to change his game because he's here. We want him to continue to play exactly the way he has played to warrant the callup today."
Chosen by Tampa Bay in the 2017 NHL Draft's seventh round with the 200th overall pick, Walker signed a two-year, entry-level contract with the Wild last summer. He was Minnesota's 2018 Mr. Hockey his senior season at Edina High – the only Hornet ever to win the award – and was the Big Ten's Freshman of the Year. He also was the Gophers' first three-year captain.
Walker wore jersey No. 74 in his debut Saturday night and his speed and presence drew a Vancouver hooking penalty that created the Wild's game-opening goal, Boldy's opportunistic power-play goal.
"It was unbelievable," Walker said in a first intermission TV interview about his first NHL action. "Just a dream come true. There's not many other words that can describe it."
While Walker played his first game, Wild veteran forward Marcus Foligno played his 700th career game and celebrated with a fight with Canuck Riley Stillman that started the second period.
Foligno played 347 games for Buffalo after he made his NHL debut there in the 2011-12 season. He has played 353 games now with the Wild.
Canucks goaltender Spencer Martin stopped Wild center Joel Erikkson Ek's shorthanded breakaway shot midway the second period to keep it a one-goal game.
(The Star Tribune did not send the writer of this article to the game. This was written using a broadcast, interviews and other material.)
