Any victory would have ended the Wild’s three-game losing streak, but the way in which they shed that slump suited the team to a tee.
The Wild blanked the Bruins 1-0 Sunday at Xcel Energy Center with a no-nonsense efficiency that could certainly serve as a reset after how out-of-character they looked getting blown out twice on the road.
“We love these games,” goaltender Filip Gustavsson said. “We wish we could play all the games like this.”
Gustavsson made 28 saves for his fourth shutout of the season, extinguishing Boston scorer David Pastrnak’s 17-game point streak in the process, and Frederick Gaudreau supplied the lone goal off a deflection in front 5 minutes, 1 seconds into the second period.
This was the Wild’s third victory in their past four games at home, which is where they will play seven in a row after going to Seattle and Vancouver later this week.
Their previous trip was a dud, with the Wild getting clobbered 6-1 by Utah and then falling apart 5-2 to Colorado.
“Coming out of the road trip and taking some lessons out of the last two games, we played fairly solid,” coach John Hynes said. “There wasn’t a ton going on in the game in general but a good win.”
Low-event hockey works for the Wild, especially in Sunday’s circumstances.