SAN JOSE, Calif. – As the Wild's No.1 goaltender, Cam Talbot has had a prominent role in the team's seven-game win streak and overall success in recent weeks.
But it was fitting that backup Kaapo Kahkonen was in net Saturday night at SAP Center when the Wild clinched a playoff berth for the eighth time over the past nine seasons with a 6-3 victory over the Sharks – Kahkonen's franchise-leading 14th win by a rookie goalie.
"It was cool," Kahkonen said. "We won the game. I didn't even know if we could clinch. Just went out and tried to stop the puck."
Kahkonen is 14-7 this season, meaning the Wild has secured 28 points when he's been between the pipes. That's more than 40 percent of the team's total points, and a chuck of that came during an impressive 9-0 run from mid-February into March.
Some of that workload came when Talbot was unavailable, sidelined as part of the COVID-19 outbreak that affected more than half the roster. But even when Talbot returned, Kahkonen continued to merit starts and deliver results.
And since a three-game slide that included the most lopsided loss in team history when he was tagged for nine goals April 9 at St. Louis, Kahkonen has won his last two starts.
"I saw flashes of it last year, and we're so happy to have him this year and I think that he's going to become an unbelievable goaltender in this league and for our team," winger Marcus Foligno said. "So, we're happy to have him."
The Wild gathered in front of Kahkonen's crease when the game finished and the team had officially sealed a playoff spot. But the celebration looked very business-like, a reminder that this is just one box checked in a process for the team that isn't over yet.
