With Cam Talbot out, Kaapo Kahkonen steps in as Wild's starting goalie

BOSTON — The lulls that have infiltrated the calendar lately might be unusual for the Wild, but this is a familiar pace for at least one player on the team: the backup goalie.

Kaapo Kahkonen had as many as 20 days between appearances this season, making consecutive starts on only two occasions.

And although he's now in charge of the crease with No. 1 Cam Talbot injured, the uneven rhythm Kahkonen's been on won't change with the Wild scheduled for just two games over the next eight days, beginning Thursday at Boston.

"It's not ideal for anyone, but that's what it is sometimes," Kahkonen said. "I'm not going to myself or I don't think anyone else on our team are going to use that as an excuse for anything. I think we know obviously we gotta be better, and we will be I think.

"We're just going to focus on that game and that period and what we're doing at that time."

Kahkonen took over for Talbot on Saturday in the Winter Classic at Target Field, coming in for the third period after Talbot suffered a lower-body injury.

Since he received a heads-up that he'd be replacing Talbot during the second intermission, Kahkonen had time to prepare, which included drinking chicken broth. He ended up stopping all four shots he faced in the 6-4 loss to the Blues that extended the Wild's losing streak to five games, and Kahkonen was actually warmer between the pipes than when he was set up on the bench as a spectator.

"I didn't get to sit on the heated one the players had," Kahkonen said. "I was sitting on a barstool that did not have any heating on it. Yeah, it was pretty cold."

While that was his first outdoor game, Kahkonen is no stranger to stepping into the starter's role with the Wild.

He was in the same position early last season when Talbot was out with injury. The 25-year-old had another stint atop the depth chart when Talbot was sidelined in the COVID protocols, and that's when Kahkonen began a 9-0 run that is tied for the fifth longest in NHL history by a rookie.

Overall Kahkonen, who's still considered a rookie for 2021-22, went 16-8, establishing a Wild rookie record for wins in a season.

"We have a body of work to remember what he's done for us when he's had to play," coach Dean Evason said. "We don't know what the extent will be [this time]. But if it is a longer situation, we're comfortable.

"Going into the Boston game, we feel real comfortable that he's going to get the job done for us."

Even more recent than those solid pinch-hit efforts last year is what Kahkonen has accomplished this season.

Not only is he 4-2-1 with a 2.67 goals-against average and .906 save percentage, but he looked especially sharp in his last start: a 35-save performance in a 2-1 loss at Los Angeles on Dec. 11.

"Obviously, I know I had some success last year when I played," he said. "Even this year, too, I feel like I played well lately. So I just try to build on what I've been doing and what we've been doing in practice with [goaltending coach Frederic Chabot] every day.

"We haven't obviously played a lot of games lately. But it is what it is. You can't really think about that too much. Just go out and try to do your best every time you can."