ST. LOUIS — Despite early injury issues, the Wild have started their 2024-25 season with a four-game points streak.

Playing seven defenseman and 11 forwards in several combinations because of injuries, the Wild got goals from three different forwards and another great start from goaltender Filip Gustavsson and beat the St. Louis Blues in their home opener, 4-1, at Enterprise Center.

Ryan Hartman, Jakub Lauko, Marco Rossi and — gulp! — Filip Gustavsson scored goals for Minnesota, and Gustavsson stopped 27 of 28 shots as the Wild improved to 2-1-1 and are now 1-0-1 on a string of seven straight road games that will take them into November.

Gustavsson scored after the Blues pulled goaltender Jordan Binnington despite being on a penalty kill in the closing seconds.

Playing without forwards Joel Eriksson Ek and Marcus Johansson, and defenseman Jared Spurgeon, the Wild double-shifted Kirill Kaprizov, Matt Boldy and Mats Zuccarello. The result was a string of good forechecks, although the scoring chances were light early.

The Wild were active on both ends, but the Blues had their chances. Gustavsson was, again, a standout for Minnesota, which led 2-0 midway through the second period despite being outshot, 18-5.

Binnington made 24 saves for the Blues (2-2-1).

The Wild have yet to trail in regulation this season, their two losses in overtime and a shootout, and Hartman put them on the board early with a power-play goal early in the first period.

Brock Faber passed back to Kaprizov on the breakout, and Kaprizov skated into the neutral zone and passed through the Blues’ aggressive blue line wall to Hartman, who was streaking through the slot. With just Binnington to beat, Hartman wristed it past the goalie’s late glove for a 1-0 lead at 3:50.

Jakub Lauko scored on a shorthanded breakaway for his first goal in a Wild uniform, taking a pass from Marat Khustnutdinov and scooping a hard shot high over Binnington’s right leg at 7:52 in the second.

Rossi scored on a one-timer on a backward feed into the slot from Zuccarello just 44 seconds into the third period for a 3-0 lead.

But that didn’t break the Blues, who had been playing well in the Wild zone only to be turned away time and again by Gustavsson. They finally got one past him in the waning seconds of the second period, when Zack Bolduc sent in a shot from the right boards, but the clock expired a split second before it passed the goal line.

Finally, midway through the third period — after the Wild failed to get the puck out near the blue line — Mathieu Joseph found himself alone with the puck in the right circle. He skated at Gustavsson and fired a wrist shot that just cleared the goalie’s right pad to make it 3-1 with 9:50 remaining in regulation.

The Wild answered with a hard shift that sapped some of the momentum from St. Louis, and when Philip Broburg got four minutes for high-sticking Hartman with 4:03 remaining, it was all over but the shouting.

Minnesota Wild goaltender Filip Gustavsson (32) defends against St. Louis Blues’ Jake Neighbours (63) during the second period of an NHL hockey game Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Scott Kane)