The Minnesota Wild were back home after a quick three-game road trip on Thursday evening, Nov. 14, when they hosted the Montréal Canadiens. They were looking to have a rebound performance after falling to the Chicago Blackhawks in overtime on Sunday evening, Nov. 10.
Neither team looked strong in open play, but as the game went on, the Wild started to feel more comfortable despite losing two players in the process. They were already without Jonas Brodin due to an injury, but they would go on to lose both Mats Zuccarello and Joel Eriksson Ek as well. Despite everything going against them, the Wild pulled out the 3-0 win and moved their record to 11-2-3, while the Canadiens moved to 5-10-2.
Game Recap
The first period was pretty quiet for both teams as neither had strong chances, and there were only six shots between the two. The second period started the same way, but the Wild started to push a little harder and finally broke through. Matt Boldy, who’s been a strong presence for the Wild most of this season, added to his goal tally with his 10th of the season to put his team up 1-0.
He was assisted by Marcus Johansson and Kirill Kaprizov, who aren’t Boldy’s typical linemates, but because of the injuries, the lines were all jumbled. The Wild were down to 10 forwards, which meant a lot of ice time to go around, and they held it together quite well. Filip Gustavsson was also up to the task in the net, so when any shots did reach him, he was ready to stop them.
The third period saw even stronger chances for the Wild, including a four-minute power play. While it looked like they wouldn’t be successful, they scored with just four seconds left on the man advantage. This time, Marco Rossi gave his team a two-goal lead, assisted by two defensemen, Jared Spurgeon and Declan Chisholm.
Things heated up as time ran down, but the Wild did a good job of staying composed long enough to pull out the win. Kaprizov already had an assist on the night, but he had to get himself a goal with an empty netter to extend the lead to 3-0 with 20 seconds left and seal the win.
Related: Wild Lose Zuccarello & Eriksson Ek to Injury Against Canadiens
The Wild are expected to practice tomorrow and Saturday morning before their match-up at home against the Dallas Stars on Saturday evening, Nov. 16. The Canadiens will continue their road trip, as their next stop will be against the Columbus Blue Jackets, also on Saturday evening.
