Matt Cullen’s first game with his home-state Minnesota Wild is in the books.

The St. Louis Blues defeated the Wild 5-1 in an exhibition before 16, 219 fans Wednesday night at Xcel Energy Center.

Cullen played 20 minutes, 17 seconds in the game and finished minus-1. He was on the ice for three Blues goals, two with the Wild a man down. He was named the game’s No. 3 star.

“It was not what any of us had hoped for,” Cullen said after the game. “We know there are plenty of things to work on. We would’ve liked a better result, and personally I would’ve like a better result my first game. But we’ll get back to work tomorrow and work on the things we need to work on.”

Look for the complete story in Thursday’s Forum, complete with reaction from Matt and wife, Bridget. 

Minnesota opens the regular season Oct. 7 against Carolina in Helsinki, Finland.