The Wild had just four faceoffs in their own zone in the third and none for nearly 14 minutes. Toronto only tested Gustavsson three times in the final 8:21.

“We didn’t generate much at all, but we were still able to lock down the defense when we didn’t have it in the offensive zone,” said Jake Middleton, who welcomed a daughter, Stevie, with his wife, Natalie, Saturday evening. . “We can win these games 2-1.”

Gustavsson finished with 27 saves while improving to 6-1-1, while Anthony Stolarz made 31 saves for the Leafs.

It was the sixth time Gustavsson had allowed two goals or fewer, which is tied with Anaheim’s Lukas Dostal for the NHL lead. Among goaltenders who have played at least six games, Gustavsson is second in goals against average (2.12) and third in save percentage (.924).