Mats Zuccarello scored the only goal in a shootout to give the Minnesota Wild their third straight win with a 2-1 victory over the visiting Vancouver Canucks in Saint Paul, Minn., on Saturday.
Frederick Gaudreau scored in regulation for Minnesota, which won for the seventh time in nine games since John Hynes took over as coach on Nov. 27. Goaltender Filip Gustavsson made 35 saves, stopping all three Canucks in the shootout.
Teddy Blueger scored for Vancouver, which had its four-game winning streak snapped. Vancouver began a hectic road trip that will see it play four games in just six nights. Goaltender Casey DeSmith finished with 30 saves.
The coaching change has been a positive one for Minnesota, which usually finishes near the top of the Central Division. But the Wild have had a string of first-round exits and haven’t won a playoff series since 2015.
Minnesota jumped out to a 5-1 shot advantage early, getting several quality scoring chances, but the Wild either hit the post or shot wide.
The Wild opened the scoring late in the first period when Gaudreau finished off a perfectly timed backhand tip-in off a pass from the right boards by Marcus Foligno. The play was started by Pat Maroon, who recorded his 300th career point.
Blueger tied it at 3:50 of the second by getting to the front of the net and finishing off a nice passing play with linemates Dakota Joshua and Conor Garland.
With eight seconds left in regulation, DeSmith robbed Wild forward Alex Goligoski in tight with a left leg pad save to keep the score tied and force overtime.
This is the second of three meetings between the teams this season. The Canucks beat the Wild 2-0 earlier this month and they meet again Feb. 19 in Saint Paul.
–Field Level Media
