Wild’s Philip Gustavsson Scores First — And Hopefully Not Last — Goalie Goal Of The NHL Season

I never thought we'd see it this early in the season, but we're barely a week into the NHL campaign and we've already got ourselves a genuine, bonafide, electrified, empty-net goalie goal, and it comes to us courtesy of Minnesota Wild netminder Filip Gustavsson.

The Wild were on the road facing the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday night, and late in the game the Blues found themselves trailing 3-1 and having to kill off a Philip Broberg high-sticking double-minor. Not an ideal situation.

With just seconds left on the clock, St. Louis got a shot on net, but it was saved by Gustavson who quickly got the puck on his stick and rifled it down ice for one of the prettiest goalie goals I think I've ever seen.

The form on that shot makes me think Gustavsson likes to airmail some shots during practice. That was not a spur-of-the-moment decision, and when you consider the late two-goal lead, an empty net, and a little extra real estate than with a typical empty-net situation, it's a perfect recipe for a goalie goal.

We've seen quite a few goalie goals in recent years. I mean, last season, the AHL had like four last season, and I think we're on a pretty good clip right now. At this rate, we should be seeing like… 20 or 30-some goalie goals.

I think we're just at a point where most goalies are strong enough physically and when it comes to handling the puck to get the job done, but I also think teams are more open to letting their goalies try. You see more and more teams not being afraid to shoot at empty nets from their side of the red line, so, it stands to reason that goalies aren't as concerned about shooting one wide and getting chewed out by their coach after the game.

Whatever the reason is, I'm all for it. Let's see a few more goalie goals this season!

By the way, the NHL Europe Instagram account put together this nifty post of every goalie goal scored in NHL history. Enjoy.)