Marcus Foligno scored the tiebreaking goal with 7.2 seconds left in regulation, and the Minnesota Wild opened their season with a 2-1 victory over the host Anaheim Ducks on Friday night.
Minnesota pressured Anaheim goaltender Anthony Stolarz all night, and he came up big more often than not while recording 41 saves. However, the Wild kept the heat on, and Foligno found himself in front of the net to push home the go-ahead goal to give his club its eighth consecutive victory over Anaheim.
The Wild’s Kevin Fiala tied the game at 1-1 late in the second period. It came after the Ducks opened the scoring on the man advantage with Jakob Silfverberg’s goal within the first minute of the second.
Stolarz started in net for John Gibson, who made 33 saves in Anaheim’s opening 4-1 victory over Winnipeg on Wednesday but is day-to-day with a lower-body injury.
Minnesota was flying from the start and didn’t relent throughout a scoreless first period. However, Stolarz was up to the task, making 15 saves over the first 20 minutes. The Wild had a power play within the first minute of the contest but wound up with nothing to show for it.
The Ducks, meanwhile, posted 10 shots on goal in the opening period and finished the first amid a power play. That man advantage concluded 17 seconds into the second on Silfverberg’s wraparound for Anaheim’s third power-play goal through five periods.
Minnesota, though, finally broke through on its third power-play chance of the night when Fiala crashed the net to chip in a Mats Zuccarello cross-slot pass to tie the game with 2:25 left in the second. The Wild finished with 19 shots on goal over the first 40 minutes.
Cam Talbot stopped 28 shots for Minnesota, which has won four in a row at Anaheim.
–Field Level Media
