Brock Faber scored 35 seconds into overtime to give the Minnesota Wild a 3-2 comeback win over the Dallas Stars on Friday night.
Jonas Brodin and Marcus Foligno scored in the third period, and Filip Gustavsson made 27 saves for the Wild, who had been struggling, losing four of five games before the Christmas break.
Wyatt Johnston and Evgenii Dadonov each had a goal and an assist, while Jake Oettinger made 15 saves for the Stars. Despite losing the lead, Dallas extended their point streak against Minnesota to 12 games (8-0-4).
Dadonov put the Stars ahead 1-0 at 9:52 of the first period after a pass from Jamie Benn to Johnston, who assisted Dadonov with a wrist shot. The Stars made it 2-0 at 15:08 of the second when Dadonov set up Johnston, who scored from the high slot.
Minnesota responded in the third. Brodin scored at 10:36, cutting the deficit to 2-1 with a wrist shot from the left circle off a 4-on-2 rush. Just 57 seconds later, Foligno tipped in a one-timer from Jared Spurgeon to tie the game at 2-2.
Minnesota Wild (NHL)
The Wild played without star forward Kirill Kaprizov, who stayed home due to a lower-body injury. Kaprizov was tied for fourth in the NHL with 50 points before the game.
Stars forward Mason Marchment was hit in the face with a deflected shot late in the first period and did not return. He had also been hit in the face with a puck earlier this season.
Oettinger entered the game with a strong record against the Wild, with a 6-0-1 record, .917 save percentage, and a 2.30 goals-against average. Dallas outshot Minnesota 14-4 in the first period and led 22-9 after two.
The Minnesota Wild and Dallas Stars are both hoping to come out of the holiday break the same way they entered it — with a win.
Both teams were on short losing streaks heading into Monday, but both managed to get victories before the break.
Dallas won 3-2 against the Utah Hockey Club, avoiding their first three-game losing streak in regulation in 2 1/2 seasons under coach Peter DeBoer.
“Nobody wants to go into Christmas on a losing note,” said Stars goalie Casey DeSmith. “Everybody wants to go home and be with their families and just feel good about hockey for a couple days, but get away from it as well.”
The Wild ended a season-long four-game losing streak by defeating the Chicago Blackhawks 4-3 on Monday.
“It’s a good reset for us,” said Minnesota defenseman Brock Faber. “End on a good note, enjoy the holidays and come back refreshed.”
Minnesota welcomed back two players from injury against the Blackhawks, including goalie Filip Gustavsson, who made 28 saves after missing four games due to a lower-body injury.
“It felt fine out there,” Gustavsson said. “(An injury) is always going to be on your mind a little bit when you’re back playing and, hopefully, I can just keep playing and it’s going to fade away a little bit.”
Minnesota forward Yakov Trenin also returned from a five-game absence due to an upper-body injury.
The Wild are still waiting for the return of top-line center Joel Eriksson Ek, who has missed the last 10 games due to a lower-body injury, and defenseman Jake Middleton, who has missed the last six games because of a hand injury.
Dallas Stars (NHL)
Minnesota still has forward Kirill Kaprizov, who is tied for second in the NHL with 23 goals and tied for fourth with 50 points.
Wild coach John Hynes said he wants to see his team create more of a net-front presence when they return from the break.
“You need money, you go to the bank. Need food, you go to the store. You want to score, you got to go to the net,” Hynes said.
Going into the break, the Wild were second in the Central Division, five points behind the Winnipeg Jets.
The Stars have more work to do, sitting fourth in the division, 11 points behind the Jets and barely hanging on to the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference.
“All you have to do is look at the standings and see what those points mean,” said DeBoer after the win against Utah. “It’s a little early in the season to be scoreboard watching too much, but any time you can win on the road in a tough building like this, they’ll take it.”
Repeating as Central Division champions will be harder this season, especially without high-scoring forward Tyler Seguin, who had hip surgery earlier this month.
“We’ve had some adversity the first half and that’s not a bad thing. I think every team needs to go through a little bit of that to learn about yourselves,” DeBoer said. “They find a way to dig deep in adverse situations and get the job done.”
Any victory, whether a blowout or a shootout, that marks the end of the Minnesota Wild’s toughest stretch of the season would have been a step forward.
However, the way the Wild broke their slump on Monday showed signs of the team that had been so consistent in the early months of the season.
They received contributions from all lines, avoided penalties, and made crucial plays at key moments in their 4-3 win over the Chicago Blackhawks at Xcel Energy Center. This win, a much-needed boost, should help the Wild refocus when they resume their schedule on Friday in Dallas.
“We’ve been pushing hard and really dialed in from training camp until now, with way more success than failure,” said coach John Hynes.
“It’s important for the group to get away for a few days, come off a win in a game where we played well, then reset and move forward.”
Though the win was positive, it wasn’t a complete return to the team’s best form. The Wild are still not at full strength, with Joel Eriksson Ek, Jakub Lauko, and Jake Middleton still out with injuries.
They also weren’t as sharp as they’ve been in the past, with a few mistakes such as a botched breakout leading to Chicago’s first goal and some turnovers caused by too much east-west play. Still, the good outshone the bad.
Kirill Kaprizov was a key figure, scoring his 23rd goal, which moved him within one of Edmonton’s Leon Draisaitl for the NHL lead. However, it was the Wild’s third and fourth lines that made the difference. 3
Those lines played a role in the three goals that followed Kaprizov’s first-period score, providing the team with crucial secondary scoring.
Before captain Jared Spurgeon tied the game in the second period off a strong shift from the fourth line, Kaprizov had been on the ice for nine consecutive Wild goals, a streak he had not seen in almost two weeks.
Minnesota Wild (Photo: AP)
Yakov Trenin, returning after a five-game absence due to an upper-body injury, made an immediate impact, assisting on two goals, including Marcus Foligno’s empty-net game-winner.
The energy from Trenin, Devin Shore, and Ben Jones gave the Wild a more defined lineup, something that had been lacking since Eriksson Ek’s injury. Shore, in particular, had his best game since his mid-November call-up, contributing an assist on Spurgeon’s goal and creating chances with his net-driving play.
“That’s what we’re looking to do as the fourth line every night: create energy, play down in their end,” said Shore, a veteran with over 450 NHL games.
“We’ve been doing a good job of that, creating that identity, and tonight it came together even more than usual. The puck found us in good spots with speed and time, so we were able to make plays with confidence.”
The Wild also showed discipline by avoiding penalties, a crucial factor in improving their struggling penalty kill, and they were clutch when needed.
Goaltender Filip Gustavsson, playing his first game after sitting out with a lower-body injury, was saved by a quick whistle in the third period when a puck slipped through him and rolled behind him in the crease. Despite that, he made timely stops, keeping the Wild steady as they protected the lead.
“He doesn’t wow you with crazy saves,” said Ryan Hartman. “But the ones he makes, he makes them count.”
Faber’s go-ahead goal in the third period helped the Wild take control and seal their second victory in their last seven games.
This assertiveness had been missing during the team’s four-game losing streak but was one of the key traits that helped the Wild be one of the top teams early in the season. If they can rediscover that style of hockey, it will help them maintain their position among the league’s elite.
“It was more of the recipe that gives you a chance to win,” Hynes said. “I was proud of the group.”
Matthew Tkachuk scored two goals, and the Florida Panthers cruised to a 6-1 victory over the Minnesota Wild on Wednesday night in Saint Paul, Minn.
Aaron Ekblad had a goal and two assists for the Panthers, who won their second straight game to wrap up a 3-2 road trip. Mackie Samoskevich added a goal and an assist.
Marco Rossi scored the only goal for Minnesota, which lost for the fourth time in the past six games.
Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky saved 26 of 27 shots, improving his record to 15-6-1. Wild goalie Marc-Andre Fleury allowed six goals on 33 shots and fell to 6-2-1.
The Panthers opened the scoring less than four minutes into the game. Ekblad scored with a wrist shot through traffic, his second goal of the season.
Minnesota tied the game on a power play with 3:49 left in the first period. Rossi scored his 12th goal with a backhand shot from the front of the crease.
Minnesota Wild players celebrate after a goal
Florida regained the lead with 1:46 left in the first period when Samoskevich scored his sixth goal. He rushed into the offensive zone and took a wrist shot from the right circle.
Tkachuk scored two goals in the second period, extending the Panthers’ lead to 4-1.
His first goal came with 4:32 remaining in the second period. He knocked in a loose puck near the net and caused a scuffle with Wild defenders after making contact with Fleury in the crease.
Tkachuk’s second goal, his 13th of the season, came on a power play with 1:06 left in the period. It was his fourth multi-goal game of the season and third in December.
Niko Mikkola added another goal for Florida, making it 5-1 with 8:50 remaining in the third period. It was his fourth goal of the season and second in as many games.
Eetu Luostarinen completed the scoring with his fourth goal in the final minute.
Minnesota Wild goalie Marc-Andre Fleury has mainly played a backup role in his 21st NHL season. However, the 40-year-old has now been called into more regular action due to a lower-body injury to teammate Filip Gustavsson, who got hurt in last Thursday’s 7-1 loss to the Edmonton Oilers.
Fleury will start his third game in the past six when the Wild take on the Florida Panthers on Wednesday night in St. Paul, Minn.
“Sad to hear about ‘Gus,’” Fleury said about Gustavsson, who Wild coach John Hynes says is dealing with a short-term injury. “Hopefully, things aren’t too bad for too long for him. … If I can give the team a chance to win when I’m in there, I think that’s all I want. Obviously, winning is always the goal.”
The Wild have alternated wins and losses in their last six games. They are coming off a 3-2 home loss to the Vegas Golden Knights on Sunday evening.
Florida is making its first trip to Minnesota since winning the Stanley Cup last season. The Panthers are coming off a 6-5 win over Edmonton on Monday night and have a 7-2-1 record in their last 10 games.
Panthers coach Paul Maurice praised the team’s recent successes, mentioning the fourth line of Tomas Nosek, A.J. Greer, and Jonah Gadjovich.
“Sam Reinhart for me is the best player on the ice, but that line as a group is probably the most impactful,” Maurice said. “I’m happy for them. … Now they get a real big piece of that (most recent) win, which builds your room.”
Reinhart leads Florida with 41 points (20 goals, 21 assists) in 32 games. Matthew Tkachuk is second with 31 points (11 goals, 20 assists) in 27 games, and captain Aleksander Barkov is third with 29 points (nine goals, 20 assists) in 22 games. Barkov missed the Panthers’ last game due to illness, and his status for Wednesday is uncertain.
Edmonton Oilers players celebrate after the win
Minnesota is led by the hot forward Kirill Kaprizov, who has 47 points (22 goals, 25 assists) in 30 games. Matt Boldy follows with 29 points (13 goals, 16 assists) in 31 games, and Marco Rossi has 25 points (11 goals, 14 assists) in 31 games.
Kaprizov has scored two goals in each of his last two games and has 13 points (9 goals, 4 assists) in his last 10 games.
Florida may return Sergei Bobrovsky to the net after he gave up five goals on 30 shots in Monday’s win. Bobrovsky is 14-6-1 with a 2.98 goals-against average and an .889 save percentage in 21 games this season. In 20 career games against Minnesota, Bobrovsky has a record of 13-5-1 with a 2.37 GAA and a .918 save percentage.
Spencer Knight could also start for the Panthers. He is 5-5-1 with a 2.85 GAA and an .890 save percentage in 12 games this season. Knight has faced Minnesota once in a backup role, stopping all six shots he faced, though he didn’t factor into the decision.
Fleury is very familiar with playing against Florida. In 32 games against the Panthers, Fleury has a record of 18-10-2 with a 2.29 GAA and a .922 save percentage.
The Wild are 8-5-1 at home, while the Panthers are 10-6-1 on the road.
Wild Prevail 5-4 in Shootout Against Utah, Johansson Leads Comeback with Key Contributions
The Minnesota Wild earned a hard-fought 5-4 shootout victory over the Utah Hockey Club at Delta Center on Tuesday, with Marcus Johansson leading the charge by scoring one goal and recording two assists. Johansson’s performance was crucial, especially in the closing moments when Marco Rossi tied the game 4-4 with 44 seconds left in regulation, capitalizing on a pass from Johansson. Despite facing some challenges, including two tough goals allowed in the third period, Johansson remained positive about the team’s resilience. “Winning is all that matters,” he said, acknowledging the tough stretch in the third period but emphasizing the importance of coming back for a crucial win.
The Wild’s offense also saw contributions from Kirill Kaprizov and Marat Khusnutdinov, while Filip Gustavsson made 21 saves and was perfect in the shootout, stopping all three of Utah’s attempts. Minnesota’s coach, John Hynes, praised the team’s mental and physical toughness, noting that despite the ups and downs of the game, the Wild stuck with their plan and earned the two points. “Toughness wins,” Hynes said, highlighting the strong play of both teams throughout the game. The Wild’s victory marked their sixth win in the last seven games, improving their record to 19-5-4.
Wild Prevail 5-4 in Shootout Against Utah, Johansson Leads Comeback with Key Contributions
On the other side, Clayton Keller of Utah was a standout, scoring twice to help the Hockey Club stay competitive. Goalie Karel Vejmelka made 34 saves in the losing effort, and despite Utah’s solid performance, the team could not hold on for the win. Utah coach Andre Tourigny recognized the challenge of facing a strong opponent like Minnesota, especially when his team was low on energy. “We could feel we’re not as energetic as we normally are,” Tourigny said, but he still appreciated the team’s late push in the game, even if they couldn’t close out the victory.
The game started with Utah taking a 1-0 lead when Kevin Stenlund scored a one-timer on Gustavsson in the first period. However, a review in the second period helped Minnesota avoid falling further behind, as Utah’s Dylan Guenther’s goal was overturned for being offside. The Wild capitalized on the break, with Khusnutdinov tying the game on a breakaway after intercepting a pass from Mikhail Sergachev. Minnesota then surged ahead with Kaprizov’s breakaway goal 36 seconds later, giving them a brief 2-1 lead.
In the third period, Keller’s two power-play goals helped Utah claw back, the second tying the game at 3-3. The Wild responded with Johansson’s goal to regain the lead, but Utah’s Juuso Valimaki scored to give his team a 4-3 advantage. Despite this, the Wild’s late-game heroics, including Rossi’s tying goal and the subsequent shootout win, sealed the victory. Keller expressed his optimism despite the loss, acknowledging the team’s improvement and the potential for growth going forward. Both teams played hard, but Minnesota’s perseverance ultimately earned them the win.
Kirill Kaprizov scored twice to help the Minnesota Wild beat the Philadelphia Flyers 4-1 on Saturday afternoon in Saint Paul, Minn.
Matt Boldy and Marco Rossi also scored for Minnesota, which bounced back from a 7-1 loss to the Edmonton Oilers in their previous game. The Wild have not lost two games in a row in regulation this season.
Travis Sanheim scored the only goal for the Flyers, who lost for the first time in their last three games.
Wild goalie Marc-Andre Fleury made 20 saves on 21 shots. The 40-year-old improved to 6-1-1 on the season and earned his 567th career win, which keeps him second on the all-time list behind Martin Brodeur (691).
Flyers goalie Samuel Ersson stopped 19 of 22 shots.
Minnesota took the lead with 5:42 left in the first period on a great goal by Kaprizov. Standing to the right of the crease, Kaprizov fired a wrist shot over Ersson’s left shoulder for the goal.
Kirill Kaprizov and Ben Jones in the 1st period
Boldy made it 2-0 with 4:39 remaining in the second period. He scored on a breakaway, putting the puck in with a forehand shot for his 13th goal of the season.
The Wild went up 3-0 with 10:26 left in the third period. On a two-on-one rush, Mats Zuccarello passed the puck to Rossi, who scored with a wrist shot from the left circle for his 11th goal.
The Flyers got on the board with 5:42 to go in the third period. Sanheim scored on a one-timer for his sixth goal of the season and his first since Nov. 16.
Kaprizov finished the game with an empty-net goal at 2:11. It was his second goal of the game and his 20th of the season, marking the fifth straight year he has scored at least 20 goals.
Neither team scored on the power play. The Flyers were 0-for-3 on the man advantage, and the Wild went 0-for-1.
Kirill Kaprizov doesn’t need a lot of space to score, but he’s not afraid to take advantage of a little help from the opposing goalie.
In the first period of the Wild’s 4-1 win on Saturday, the Minnesota forward scored after his shot from a sharp angle bounced off Philadelphia Flyers goalie Samuel Ersson’s helmet and went into the net.
“He’s a skilled player,” Ersson said. “I don’t think it’s luck for him.”
A little over 15 minutes into a scoreless first period, Wild defenseman Jon Merrill took a shot that hit the boards behind Ersson. The puck bounced out to Kaprizov, who was about a foot away from the goal line and 10 feet to the left of the net.
Ersson slid to his left to cover the post. But Kaprizov took a high shot from a tough angle, and it hit the side of Ersson’s head before going into the net.
Minnesota Wild players celebrate after a goal
Wild coach John Hines said Kaprizov practices shots like this for up to 30 minutes every day after practice or before games, and it paid off again.
“It isn’t the first time he’s done it in a game either,” said Wild goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, who faces Kaprizov every day in practice. “So I’m not surprised. He’s fun to watch.”
Kaprizov scored an empty-net goal with 2:10 left, his 20th of the season, moving him into second place in the NHL, just one behind Edmonton’s Leon Draisaitl.
Philadelphia Flyers forward Scott Laughton is known for working hard and letting other players take the spotlight.
However, this week has been different for Laughton. As a 12-year veteran who has played his entire career with the Flyers, he recently had a career-high, scoring four goals in one game, which earned him a standing ovation from his teammates in the locker room.
Laughton will look to keep up his strong play when the Flyers take on the Minnesota Wild on Saturday afternoon in Saint Paul, Minn.
“Scotty’s one of those guys that it doesn’t matter where he is in the lineup or what his job is, he’s always a good spirit at the rink,” said Flyers teammate Travis Konecny. “He never complains about anything. He just goes and puts his head down and does what he has to do. I think when he’s called upon for offense, he has got a lot of skill.”
The Flyers as a team are also doing well recently.
Philadelphia comes into the game with back-to-back wins. They have earned at least one point in 13 of their last 17 games, with a record of 10-4-3.
Laughton scored all four goals, including a short-handed goal and two empty-netters, in their 4-1 victory over the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday.
“Great play by (Konecny) finding me backdoor,” Laughton said about his penalty kill goal. “… We haven’t really been that great on it the last couple of weeks so it’s nice to pot one there and get the ball rolling in the right direction.”
Konecny is the Flyers’ top scorer with 36 points (15 goals, 21 assists) in 30 games. Matvei Michkov has 27 points (11 goals, 16 assists) in 28 games.
Minnesota Wild’s Kirill Kaprizov in the 1st half
Like the Flyers, the Wild have had a strong start to the season, but they are coming off a tough 7-1 loss to the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday. They have lost two of their last three games after a five-game winning streak.
Kirill Kaprizov leads the Wild with 43 points (18 goals, 25 assists) in 28 games. Matt Boldy is second with 28 points (12 goals, 16 assists) in 29 games.
Wild goaltender Filip Gustavsson may get a chance to bounce back from a rough performance in their last game. Marc-Andre Fleury replaced Gustavsson after the Wild gave up five goals in two periods, but Fleury didn’t do much better, allowing two more goals on nine shots in the third period.
“I think we’ve had a lot of good things that have gone on for us this year,” said Wild coach John Hynes. “(Thursday) was an uncharacteristic night for us. I’m not going to overthink it. … We have to get ready for Saturday.”
Gustavsson is 14-5-3 this season with a 2.24 goals-against average and a .922 save percentage. Fleury is 5-1-1 with a 2.71 GAA and a .905 save percentage.
The Flyers are carrying three goaltenders on their roster. Samuel Ersson is the top option and could start against the Wild. He has a 6-3-2 record this season with a 2.85 GAA and an .893 save percentage.
Aleksei Kolosov (4-5-1, 3.05 GAA, .889 save percentage) is second on the Flyers’ goaltender depth chart, while Ivan Fedotov (4-4-1, 3.48 GAA, .877 save percentage) is third.
Kolosov has impressed his teammates in his first NHL season. He stopped 25 of 26 shots in the Flyers’ most recent victory.
“You can tell he’s a gamer, he battles hard, he fights for a lot of pucks,” said Flyers forward Sean Couturier. “He’s really athletic and never quits on pucks.”
Leon Draisaitl had an impressive four-point performance, scoring one goal and providing three assists, as the Edmonton Oilers easily defeated the Minnesota Wild 7-1 on Thursday night in Saint Paul, Minn.
Six other players also scored for the Oilers, who extended their winning streak to four games. Connor Brown contributed a goal and an assist, while Connor McDavid, Darnell Nurse, Evan Bouchard, and Vasily Podkolzin each had two assists.
Frederick Gaudreau scored the only goal for Minnesota. Brock Faber and Marcus Johansson each recorded an assist as the Wild lost the first game of their five-game homestand.
Oilers goaltender Calvin Pickard made 29 saves on 30 shots, improving his record to 7-3-0.
Wild goalie Filip Gustavsson allowed five goals on 26 shots before being replaced in the third period by Marc-Andre Fleury, who stopped seven out of nine shots.
Edmonton took a 2-1 lead in the first period. Zach Hyman opened the scoring with a power-play goal at 6:59, and Kasperi Kapanen made it 2-0 with an even-strength goal at 4:20.
Minnesota Wild’s Kirill Kaprizov in the 1st half
Gaudreau scored a power-play goal with 1:11 left in the period to make it 2-1, his sixth goal of the season.
The Oilers extended their lead with three more goals in the second period, bringing the score to 5-1.
Brown started the scoring with a short-handed goal just 1:55 into the second. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins added a power-play goal at 7:04, and Draisaitl scored his league-leading 21st goal at 4:06.
Fleury couldn’t stop the Oilers’ attack in the third period.
Troy Stecher scored from long range at 13:05 to make it 6-1. Derek Ryan finished the scoring with his first goal of the season with 2:34 left.
Minnesota Wild owner Craig Leipold made it clear that the team is thinking about Kirill Kaprizov’s next contract.
First, Kaprizov will become an unrestricted free agent after the 2025-26 season, so the Wild have time as the 27-year-old forward finishes his current five-year, $45 million contract.
Then there’s the important date of July 1, when Kaprizov can sign an eight-year extension with the Wild or a seven-year deal with another NHL team.
So, what is the Wild’s plan for keeping Kaprizov in Minnesota?
“Well, it’s a priority,” Leipold told NHL.com. “There’s no doubt. We want Kirill. He’s a big part of our future. We know that. Billy (Guerin, general manager) has already been thinking about it. How do we go about this? We’ve got to figure out exactly what the cap’s going to be. It’s an important part of our strategic plan to get him signed for as long as we can.”
As of Wednesday, Kaprizov was tied for second in the NHL with 43 points (18 goals, 25 assists) in 27 games. With such a strong start to the season, it’s possible that Kaprizov will be a candidate to become the first player in Wild history to win the Hart Trophy as the league’s MVP.
Minnesota Wild (NHL)
“I don’t know if I would pitch for it, because the price goes up,” Leipold said jokingly about promoting Kaprizov as a Hart Trophy contender. “I say that with humor. But he’s an amazing player.
“(Although he’s 5-foot-10), he plays like he’s 6-4. He can go in the corner, and he comes out with the puck. He’s got stick skills that you just don’t see very often in this league, and he makes other players better, so it’s not just that he is on the ice and he’s getting a lot of points.
When you’re on the ice with him and you’re a linemate, you better have your eyes open, because that puck could be coming to you through four people.”
Kaprizov, who won the Calder Trophy as the NHL’s best rookie in 2020-21, has accumulated 373 points (178 goals, 195 assists) in 305 career games with the Wild.
Matt Boldy scored the only goal in a shootout, helping the Minnesota Wild beat the Utah Hockey Club 5-4 on Tuesday in Salt Lake City.
Marcus Johansson had one goal and two assists, while Marat Khusnutdinov, Kirill Kaprizov, and Marco Rossi also scored for Minnesota. Filip Gustavsson made 21 saves to secure the win.
Clayton Keller scored twice for Utah, and Kevin Stenlund and defenseman Juuso Valimaki added goals. Dylan Guenther and Mikhail Sergachev each had two assists, and Karel Vejmelka made 34 saves during regulation and overtime.
This was Utah’s first shootout since the team moved from Arizona, and it is their first season in Salt Lake City.
Rossi’s goal with 44 seconds left in regulation tied the game 4-4, sending it to overtime after Gustavsson had been pulled for an extra attacker. Rossi’s 10th goal of the season came from the slot.
The third period was very exciting, with five goals scored. Keller’s power-play goal at 4:42 tied the game at 2-2, but Johansson quickly gave the Wild a 3-2 lead just a minute later at 5:39.
Minnesota Wild (NHL)
Keller scored again on the power play at 9:54 to tie the game 3-3.
Then, Valimaki gave Utah a 4-3 lead with 8:15 left, scoring on a rebound.
Minnesota scored twice in 36 seconds late in the second period to take a 2-1 lead. Khusnutdinov intercepted a pass from Sergachev, skated down the ice, and scored with a snap shot to tie the game 1-1 with 5:35 left. It was his first goal of the season.
Johansson then took the puck from Olli Maatta just inside the Utah blue line and passed it to Kaprizov, who scored his 18th goal of the season to put the Wild ahead 2-1 with 4:59 left in the second.
Stenlund scored the first goal of the game at 6:14 of the opening period. It was his fourth goal of the season, and his third consecutive game with a goal.
