Ryan Hartman scored with 2.2 seconds left in regulation and Nick Bjugstad tallied the deciding goal in the fourth round of the shootout Saturday as the visiting Minnesota Wild erased a late two-goal deficit and beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-4.
Jared Spurgeon, Kirill Kaprizov and Joel Eriksson Ek also scored one goal apiece, and Freddie Gaudreau had two assists for the Wild.
Minnesota goaltender Cam Talbot made 35 saves and stopped two of four attempts in the shootout.
Kasperi Kapanen notched his first career hat trick, Jake Guentzel also scored and Evan Rodrigues, Jason Zucker and Bryan Rust had two assists each for the Penguins. Tristan Jarry made 36 saves.
Kaprizov scored his second goal of the season (and in as many games) for a 1-0 Wild lead at 9:44 of the first. He moved in from the left and potted the puck behind Jarry after Alex Goligoski’s shot went off the far post.
Kapanen, who has talked about feeling pressure to score, got his first of the season at 16:33 of the first to tie it. After an effective forecheck by Zucker and Rodrigues sprang the puck, Kapanen got it above the crease, went forehand-backhand-forehand and put a shot past Talbot’s left skate.
With 55.9 seconds left in the first, Kapanen took a feed from Rodrigues and scored from the top of the right circle.
Guentzel boosted Pittsburgh’s lead to 3-1 at 13:34 of the second. Off a give-and-go with Rust — who returned after missing seven games because of a lower-body injury — Guentzel scored from the slot with Jeff Carter screening Talbot.
Eriksson Ek closed it to 3-2 at 16:57 of the second. It was his fourth goal of the season.
Kapanen completed his hat trick and made it 4-2 at 8:45 of the third when his shot from the top of the left circle went off the near post, then off Goligoski and in.
The Wild tied it with two goals with Talbot pulled — at 16:41 on Spurgeon’s shot through traffic, and on a goal Hartman on a backdoor play in the waning seconds.
–Field Level Media
