Mats Zuccarello scored the deciding goal and had two assists to lead the Minnesota Wild to a 4-3 win over the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday night in NHL preseason play in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Zuccarello, signed to five-year, $30 million free agent contract by the Wild on July 1, assisted on goals by Jason Zucker and Eric Staal in the second period. Matt Dumba also scored for Minnesota, and Devan Dubnyk had 30 saves.
Ty Lewis, Jayson Megna and Conor Timmins scored for Colorado, and Pavel Francouz stopped 22 shots.
The game was Wild captain Mikko Koivu’s first since last February, when he suffered a torn ACL in his right knee. Koivu had two penalty minutes and blocked a shot in 16:41.
Blue Jackets Beat Penguins 3-1
In Columbus, Ohio, Joonas Korpisalo stopped 24 shots and the Columbus Blue Jackets beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-1.
Cam Atkinson, Eric Robinson and Josh Anderson scored for the Blue Jackets. Robinson’s goal 2:12 into the third gave Columbus the lead. Anderson added an empty-netter with 36 seconds left.
Juuso Riikola scored for Pittsburgh, and Casey DeSmith finished with 19 saves.
_____
For more AP NHL coverage: https://apnews.com/NHL and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
The Associated Press
Free Newsletter
Get Minnesota Wild coverage delivered to your inbox
In-depth analysis, breaking news, and insider takes - free.
Subscribe Free →
