Kaapo Kahkonen made 44 saves to help the Wild hang on for a 4-2 road victory over the Florida Panthers Tuesday night.
The rookie goalie earned his second career win and flashed the potential he could have as the possible future No. 1 goalie in the State of Hockey, and he got just enough help on the other end of the ice for the Wild to extend its points streak to 10 games.
Trailing 2-0 in the second period, Jason Zucker and Mats Zuccarello scored three minutes and 30 seconds apart to tie the game, and Carson Soucy’s second goal of the season gave the Wild a 3-2 lead 4:49 into the third period.
Luke Kunin added an empty-net goal with 1:01 remaining to seal the victory.
Kahkonen allowed two goals on the first 10 shots of the game and then turned into a brick wall, stopping 36 straight shots-on-goal to finish the night.
The Wild is 9-2-4 since Nov. 3, one of the top records in the NHL over the past month after a dismal 4-9-1 start to the season.
