Kahkonen's shutout keeps the good vibes emanating from Wild's crease

Wild goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen insists it's not a competition. But whatever it is, Minnesota is hoping to ride the wave for as long as possible.
Kahkonen was superb again on Tuesday night, stopping 31 shots in a 3-0 Wild victory over the Arizona Coyotes at Xcel Energy Center.
Kahkonen's shutout, his second in his past three starts, comes on the heels of back-to-back performances where Cam Talbot, the Wild's other goaltender, allowed just one goal in two games against these same Coyotes.

Performances that came on the heels of Kahkonen's sweep of the first-place Vegas Golden Knights, including his first NHL shutout.

"We need two guys to win games since there's gonna be a game every other night," Kahkonen said. "It's not, I don't think, if he plays well, I should get extra motivation from that. It's great to see your teammates playing well. You want everybody to play well so we can win games.
"Every time they tell me that I'm playing, I'm just gonna go in and compete against the other team. So that's how I approach."
That approach is working like a charm.
In his first full season as an NHL goaltender, Kahkonen has now won each of his past nine starts, a franchise record and the longest streak by any goaltender in the League this season.

His numbers during that streak are impeccable: 9-0-0, a 1.44 goals-against average and a save percentage of .947. He's stopped 233 of the 246 shots he's faced and now hasn't tasted defeat in one full month.
On the season, Kahkonen is 12-4-0 with a 2.05 goals against and a save percentage of .927.
All of the sudden, Kahkonen's win total is tied for sixth-most in the NHL, with each of the five players in front of him having started at least five or six more games.
His save percentage is third-best among all goaltenders with at least 15 starts. His goals-against average is fourth-most among goalies with the same number of starts.
But among the people Kahkonen credits most for that success is Talbot, the veteran who has battled through both an injury and a bout with COVID-19 this season. Ironically, those ailments opened the door for Kahkonen to earn plenty of playing time early this season and the rookie has refused to back down.

"He's been unbelievable from day one. You know, every time you see him play, you can also try to learn obviously. He's been in the league for a while, played a lot of games. So looking up to a veteran guy like that is never a bad thing," Kahkonen said. "Seeing what he's doing or whether he plays a game, he doesn't really feel like he did well and how he responds to that or plays a great game and then next day goes in and plays another great game. Doesn't matter what he did the day before or the night before. Just the focus - the constant focus -- on the present moment and things like that, it's been great."
Now-a-days, Wild coach Dean Evason has a legitimate decision to make before each game, but it's one he certainly loves having.
While teams around the League love to have one of their goaltenders playing at a high level, the Wild currently has two ... hence the tough decision.
The only way a guy having allowed one goal in two games sees the bench in the third game is if the other guy is playing spectacularly too.
The bottom line: no matter who the Wild is playing, where its playing or who's in the lineup, Evason is confident that he's going to get a stellar effort in goal, and that person will give the team a chance to win every time out.
Over the weekend, it was Talbot. Tuesday night it was Kahkonen. When the Wild plays the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday night in Denver? Who knows.

"[My confidence is] likely as high as you can imagine," Evason said. "Both guys we feel extremely comfortable. Most importantly, is the team feels extremely comfortable. Yeah, it's nice obviously. Penalty kill, your goalie is you best penalty killer and clearly he was tonight."
That confidence has filtered down to the players too. When a team has a goaltender playing behind them who is on top of his game, that belief radiates 200 feet in the other direction.

"It's awesome and the confidence it looks like they have, just how smooth they're looking, it always looks like they're in the right spot before the other team is even shooting, they're kind of just set and so square," said Wild defenseman Carson Soucy. "Every shot and every play, they're always in the right position, not giving up much rebounds and we're just doing our best to let them see the puck."
And while both Kahkonen and Talbot are competitors, and each would certainly relish the opportunity to see a bulk of the starts in goal, each also understands that the current season is a wacky one and the Wild will be playing a ton of games in not a ton of days.

That means it's not only best for the team that they're both rolling, but also for the goaltenders. It's a perspective that hasn't been lost on Kahkonen.
"We need two goalies here to play, to play well and win games. One goalie this year cannot do all the work. It just doesn't work like that," Kahkonen said. "So, I think we've been supporting each other. And he's been playing well, too. So I think it's just a great situation for the team."
Related:
Postgame Hat Trick: Wild 3, Coyotes 0