Wild vs Islanders: Starting Goaltending Matchup
The Minnesota Wild (5-7-3) are visiting the New York Islanders (6-5-2) tonight. Rookie Jesper Wallstedt is expected to start for the Wild, while veteran David Rittich will go for the Islanders.
Minnesota Wild Goaltending
After five straight starts and playing yesterday's game against Carolina, Filip Gustavsson will sit out tonight. Jesper Wallstedt, 23, is likely to get the nod. He is currently 1-0-2 this season with a 3.38 goals-against average and a .863 save percentage over 10 games.
Wallstedt has never faced the Islanders before, either last season or in his NHL career overall. His career stats include a 3.34 goals-against average and a .863 save percentage with a 3-3-2 record.
New York Islanders Goaltending
The Islanders are playing the first game of a back-to-back series. Head coach Patrick Roy announced David Rittich as the starter for tonight, with Ilya Sorokin slated for Saturday.
Rittich, 33, has appeared in four games this season, holding a 3-1-0 record, 3.01 goals-against average, and a .902 save percentage. Although he did not face the Wild last year, he has had significant success against them in his career.
"Rittich is 5-0-1 against the Wild with a 2.11 goals-against average and a .935 save percentage. He has also recorded one shutout in six career starts versus Minnesota."
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Author's summary: Jesper Wallstedt starts for the Wild against David Rittich, who boasts a dominant career record versus Minnesota in tonight's game.