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Matt Boldy drops truth bomb that will fire up Wild fans after season-opening win

Originally posted on NHL on ClutchPoints
By Colin Gallant | Last updated 10/11/24

Matt Boldy was the catalyst for the Minnesota Wild in their season-opening win over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday night, scoring a goal and adding two assists in the 3-2 victory.

The 23-year-old star sent the fans at Xcel Energy Center home happy, and he admitted after the game he wants to make that happen a lot more in 2024-25.

“I just want to win,” Boldy said after the triumph, according to NHL.com’s Jessi Pierce. “I think everyone in this locker room wants to win. We’re so close. We all get along so well. (We’re) competitive and we didn’t have the year we expected last year, so all of us in here just want to win games and have a successful year.”

The Wild missed the playoffs for the first time in six seasons in 2023-24 despite a winning record of 39-34-5. But Boldy was a bright spot last year, putting up an excellent 29 goals and 69 points in 75 games — good enough for second on team scoring behind Kirill Kaprizov.

And he’ll be looking to improve even further on those point totals as the Wild aim to return to the dance next April.

Matt Boldy, Wild are off to an encouraging start

Minnesota Wild left wing Matt Boldy (12) celebrates his goal with goaltender Filip Gustavsson (32) during the first period against the Columbus Blue Jackets at Xcel Energy Center. Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

Boldy led the charge on Thursday night, but Filip Gustavsson also put together an encouraging debut, making 31 saves on 33 Blue Jackets shots. Maybe his best was a hard slap shot from Yegor Chinakhov from above the left faceoff circle with just over 10 seconds left in regulation.

“It’s a hard-fought game,” said Wild head coach John Hynes afterwards, per Pierce. “I think with a home opener on both sides, the first game, there’s so much energy in the games that there wasn’t a lot of free ice. You’ve got to be able to understand that when you’re coming in the season, because the regular-season games are a step up. So, it was good.”

The game also marked Dean Evason’s return to Minnesota. The former Wild coach was fired at the end of November of 2023, and hired as the bench boss of the Blue Jackets on July 22.

He went 147-77-27 in five seasons behind the bench in Saint Paul, and 8-15 in the postseason, per Pierce.

“Once you get back there, I think it’s like [the] same as a player. I think you forget the surroundings and it’s just like riding a bike,” the veteran coach admitted. “You fall back into a routine, and it was a lot of fun to be behind the bench. I don’t care which one I’m on.”

Now 1-0, Boldy and the Wild will look to keep the momentum going in a back-to-back set on Saturday and Sunday. They’ll remain at home to welcome the Seattle Kraken to the Xcel Energy Center before heading north to play the Winnipeg Jets at the Canada Life Centre.

Puck drop for Wild-Kraken is set for just past 8:00 p.m. on Saturday night.

This article first appeared on NHL on ClutchPoints and was syndicated with permission.

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