But even us curmudgeons had to appreciate what occurred on Thursday night in the Minnesota Wild’s 4-3 shootout victory in Washington.

With Matt Boldy having scored on the Wild’s second attempt, Alexander Ovechkin took the puck on his stick at center ice and skated in on Marc-Andre Fleury.

A 39-year-old legend who was the first-overall pick by Washington in the 2004 NHL draft, bearing down on a 40-year-old goaltender who was the first-overall selection by Pittsburgh a year earlier.

Ovechkin moved right and then back to the middle of the ice before snapping off a shot that Fleury stopped with his glove to set off a celebration among Wild players.

The NHL long ago became a young man’s game, and seeing two Hall of Fame legends competing for one of the final times is a special moment. Even if it was in a shootout.

Fleury has said this will be the last season of his 21-year NHL career. He spent 13 of those seasons competing against Ovechkin with the Penguins in the Eastern Conference. Ovechkin scored a power-play goal against Fleury on Thursday night, giving him 28 regular-season goals against The Flower. That’s more than he’s scored on any goalie.

Ovechkin also had 13 goals against Fleury in the playoffs, but the Penguins were 3-0 in the postseason against the Capitals during Fleury’s time in Pittsburgh. That includes Pittsburgh’s seven-game victory in the 2009 conference semifinals en route to a Stanley Cup title.

“It’s 20 years we play against each other,” Ovechkin told reporters. “It’s always fun. It’s always a challenge. He’s one of the best goalies out there and it’s a huge challenge for me to play against him.”

There could be one more meeting between Fleury and Ovechkin, and it would be more special than the one we saw Thursday.

Ovechkin has 871 career goals, putting him 24 goals away from breaking Wayne Gretzky’s time record of 894 goals. The Capitals are scheduled to play 33 games before they face the Wild on March 27 at Xcel Energy Center.

Ovechkin scored 15 goals in his first 18 games of the season before missing 16 because of a fractured fibula, but he has three goals in four games since his return. Could Ovechkin pass Gretzky’s mark in downtown St. Paul?

Fleury probably would be OK if that’s not the case. He already has plenty of memories of Ovechkin scoring goals against him.

“I feel fortunate I was able to play in this time,” Fleury told reporters. “He probably owes me a few things for scoring so many goals on me. I helped him out pretty good. I’m glad I got to face him. He’s one of the best and always brings the best out of you. It’s been fun battles with him.”

A long road (trip)
One can forgive Wild players if they aren’t as excited as Minnesota hockey fans are about the World Junior Championships being held next winter at Xcel Energy Center.

Ottawa is currently playing host to the world juniors and that has sent the Senators on a nine-game road trip in which they are 4-3-0. The tournament started the day after Christmas and runs through Sunday. The Senators last played at the Canadian Tire Centre on Dec. 14.

The 2026 world juniors will begin on Dec. 26, 2025 and run through Jan. 5, 2026. That means that other than the NHL’s holiday break, the Wild will be on a long trip beginning in late December and extending into early January.

The Canadian Tire Centre is the primary venue, hosting a total of 18 games, while TD Place hosted 12 games during the tournament. The secondary venue in Minnesota will be 3M Arena at Mariucci, home of the Gophers men’s hockey team.

It will be the first time the world juniors will be played in Minnesota since 1982. The tournament was conducted in a round-robin format at the time and won by Canada.

The North Stars’ home building, Met Center, hosted a few games but there also were games played in Manitoba, as well as multiple Minnesota cites, including Brainerd, Burnsville, Duluth, Grand Rapids, International Falls, Mankato, New Ulm, Rochester, St. Cloud and Virginia.

That’s no longer the case because the world juniors have become big business. 

The post Zulgad: Appreciate Ovechkin vs. Flower Rivalry appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

I haven’t heard a national pundit say a word about Crosby wearing the forest green, iron range red and harvest gold of the Minnesota Wild. Even though there is a compelling case to be made that the future Hall of Famer would be a great fit in Minnesota.

OK, I know what you’re saying. No way, no how. Crosby isn’t going to waive the full no-move clause he received in the two-year, $17.4 million contract he signed in September to remain with the Pittsburgh Penguins through the 2026-27 season. Maybe you’re right. Crosby could have walked as a free agent after this season but elected to stick with the franchise that made him the first-overall pick in the 2005 NHL Draft.

So, why is anyone talking about the 37-year-old future Hall of Famer waiving his no move? Because the relationship between Crosby and the Penguins — and a few other star players — no longer makes sense unless it’s solely based on stubbornness and sentimentality.

Penguins needs a rebuild – without Crosby
Crosby played a key role in the Penguins winning three Stanley Cups, and the franchise made 16 consecutive postseason appearances after missing in his rookie season. But Pittsburgh hasn’t been to the playoffs in the past two years and is on track to make it three in a row this season.

This isn’t a case where the Penguins are a hot streak or one addition away from turning it around. Pittsburgh is sitting at 7-10-4 through 21 games, giving them 18 points, and is a minus-26 in goal differential. The Penguins are 2-3-3 in their past eight games, losing twice in overtime and once in a shootout. There also was an 0-5-1 stretch last month that ended with a 5-3 loss to the Wild in Pittsburgh.

Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas needs to begin a significant rebuild as soon as possible and the list of veterans on his roster should make that possible. Dubas already dealt Jake Guentzel to Carolina last season and moved Lars Eller to Washington for two draft picks last week.

Penguins center Sidney Crosby on the ice in a game against the Minnesota Wild on March 31, 2022 at Xcel Energy Center. Crosby has scored more than 1,600 points in nearly 1,300 career NHL games, all played for Pittsburgh. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

But, for now, Crosby is off limits, and so is 38-year-old center Evgeni Malkin, who has spent all 19 of his seasons in Pittsburgh and has a full no-trade clause. Crosby and Malkin want to finish their NHL careers where they started, but will that remain the case?

There’s something very noble about spending your entire career in one place, but even Wayne Gretzky was traded twice in his NHL career and signed his last contract (with the New York Rangers) as a free agent.

Crosby, 37, still has plenty to offer as evidenced by his team-leading 20 points (seven goals and 13 assists) in 21 games this season. Crosby agreeing to waive his no-move clause could be a major benefit to the Penguins and himself. Interest would be high and this improved Wild team would make sense for a few reasons.

Crosby to the Wild would be a smooth transition
The Wild are off to a fantastic start this season under coach John Hynes. Their 4-2 win in St. Louis on Tuesday gave them 27 points, putting them behind only Winnipeg (32 points) and tied with Washington for second place in the NHL. Crosby would be welcomed by any team, but his transition to Minnesota would be nearly seamless.

There are two reasons for this: 1) Wild general manager Bill Guerin won the second and final Stanley Cup of his career as a teammate of Crosby’s with the Penguins in 2009 after being acquired that March from the New York Islanders. 2) Goalie Marc-Andre Fleury and Crosby were teammates in Pittsburgh for 12 seasons and remain close friends. They were a part of three Stanley Cup winning teams during that time.

Crosby and veteran defenseman Kris Letang stayed on the ice at PPG Paints Arena as fans chanted Fleury’s name and gave him an ovation following the Wild’s victory in Pittsburgh on Oct. 29. Fleury remains one of the most popular players in Penguins history, and fans wanted to show their love for him after what was expected to be the final start of his career in that city.

“I can try my hardest, try to bring (Crosby) here,” Fleury said during a recent appearance on the Bardown Beauties podcast with Jessi Pierce and Kirsten Krull. “But I don’t think he’s going to budge. … He doesn’t like change much.”

That’s a shame.

The NHL trade deadline isn’t until March 7, so there’s time for Crosby to change his mind about staying put. There are also scenarios, given the potential timing of the trade, and the return to Pittsburgh, under which Guerin could swing a deal that could work financially. The Avalanche, by the way, currently have less salary cap room than the Wild.

Of course, the Penguins wouldn’t give away Crosby. They likely would ask for center Marco Rossi and/or top prospects. ESPN recently ranked the Wild fourth in their NHL future power rankings based in part on the quality of their prospects. The ask might be too much, but Guerin knows more than anyone what Crosby brings on the ice and to the room.

Is Crosby to Minnesota, or anywhere else, likely? Probably not. But if he does decide to chase another Cup, doing it with his buddy, Fleury, would make a lot of sense.

The post Zulgad: Crosby To The Wild? appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

Fleury’s three stops — Vegas, Chicago and Minnesota — since leaving the Penguins are a far smaller part of his story. Still, fans of the Golden Knights, Blackhawks and Wild should count themselves lucky that they have gotten to watch the future Hall of Famer make spectacular diving saves, flash his glove on stops that look straight out of the 1980s and play the game with a joy that make it difficult to believe he turned 39 in November.

In what has been a roller-coaster season for a Wild team that fired coach Dean Evason in late November, got close to a wild card spot by winning 11 of its first 14 games under new coach John Hynes, but then went 1-5 to fall back in the playoff race, there hasn’t been much reason for excitement.

Fleury, though, has been an exception, even if the extremely competitive netminder is unlikely to admit it. The milestones he has reached in recent weeks are a reminder that Fleury’s teammates and Wild fans are witnessing a player who belongs among hockey’s royalty.

Fleury’s workload has been more than anyone expected, or the Wild wanted, in part because a recent lower body injury to No. 1 goalie Filip Gustavsson has forced the veteran into the top role.

Nick Bjugstad’s breakaway goal past a sprawling Marc-Andre Fleury sealed Minnesota’s Game 6 victory over Vegas in 2021. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

A day after Gustavsson had to leave a start at Winnipeg, Fleury played in his 1,000th game in a 3-2 loss to the Jets, joining Martin Brodeur (1,266 games), Roberto Luongo (1,044) and Patrick Roy (1,029) as the only goalies to reach that mark. A week later, the Wild’s 4-3 overtime win at Columbus gave Fleury his 551st career victory, tying Roy for second place on the all-time list behind Brodeur’s 691 victories.

“I don’t know, I’m kind of happy it’s over,” Fleury said after playing in his 1,000th game. “I wish it was a win. … Obviously, very flattered by the reception from the crowd, from my teammates. It means a lot. I feel very fortunate that I’ve played for so long and I’ve got to do what I love for many years. I’m lucky for that.”

Oh, yeah, have we mentioned that there might be no bigger class act in the NHL than Fleury? He is the dream of any public relations department. Fleury answers every question after good games or bad games, the latter is the test of a player’s character, and often does it with a self-deprecating, aw-shucks approach more befitting of a rookie than a first-ballot Hall of Famer.

“We’re so proud to have him here as a teammate and as good of a player as he is on the ice, off ice he’s even better,” Wild winger Marcus Foligno said after Fleury’s 1,000th game. “We’re lucky to have him in our room, and it’s great to be a part of something so special in a player’s career.”

Marc-Andre Fleury makes plenty of eye-popping, acrobatic saves in net. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

He’s still got it
The question is how much longer Fleury will continue to play? His incredible glove save on Columbus’ Yegor Chinakhov in overtime came right before Marco Rossi ended the game and (rightfully) was all anyone was talking about afterward. Even in an ugly 4-0 loss to Dallas on Monday night, Fleury made a spectacular, swiping glove save on the goal line on a shot from a stunned Sam Steel.

It’s those type of saves — not to mention the joy he takes in being a top-level prankster — that make you wonder why Fleury would consider hanging up his goalie pads. But there is the reality of the situation. Fleury and his wife have three children and being a goalie nearing the age of 40 isn’t compatible with stability.

Fleury and his family already have filed more than one change of address notice in recent years.

He was taken by Vegas in the 2017 expansion draft and became a fan favorite during his four seasons with the Golden Knights. Fleury started 20 games in the 2018 playoffs as the expansion Knights lost to the Washington Capitals in the Stanley Cup Finals. Vegas moved on from Fleury in July 2021 and he started 45 games with the Chicago Blackhawks that season before being dealt to the Wild at the 2022 trade deadline for a second-round pick.

Wild general manager Bill Guerin, who had been a teammate of Fleury’s for two seasons at the end of his career in Pittsburgh, made the trade hoping the goalie would frustrate opponents like he did the Wild in the first round of the 2021 postseason. Fleury had similar aspirations, waiving his no-trade clause in the process.

Fleury has played in 1,000 career NHL games. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

The Wild, however, were bounced in the first round in 2022 by the St. Louis Blues with Fleury as the main goalie, and then last spring by the Stars with Fleury as the backup. Given the Wild’s current status, it’s getting more and more difficult to believe their will be a playoff appearance this spring.

Fleury is in the final season of a two-year, $7 million contract and has no-move protection. You have to believe Guerin will do everything to place him with a contender, if the Wild continue to stumble and Fleury expresses an interest at making one last playoff run.

That will be up to Fleury.

He is more than deserving of calling his own shots at this point. But as his time in Minnesota winds down, Gustavsson and rookie Jesper Wallstedt are likely to be the Wild’s goalie duo next season, we should appreciate the brief opportunity we will have gotten to be in the midst of goaltending greatness.

The post A Joyful Fleury appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

According to his team and reported by the Associated Press, Johnson died after his neck was cut by a skate blade during the game against the Sheffield Steelers at Sheffield’s Utilita Arena. 

Born in Grand Rapids, Johnson helped lead the Hibbing/Chisholm boys’ hockey team to the state tournament in 2011. Johnson scored a natural hat trick in the Class 1A boys’ state semifinals, a 6-4 loss to Hermantown. 

He went on to play for the University of Minnesota-Duluth. His overtime winner against Boston University in the 2017 NCAA Tournament sent the Bulldogs to the Frozen Four. 

Johnson played 13 career NHL games for the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons. His only NHL goal came against his home-state team, the Minnesota Wild, on Oct. 12, 2019 at Xcel Energy Center. Johnson also recorded one of his three career assists in that game, which the Penguins won 7-4.

Johnson spent the 2020-21 hockey season playing in Sweden. 

Tributes to Johnson poured in starting Sunday morning. 

The Nottingham Panthers are truly devastated to announce that Adam Johnson has tragically passed away following a freak accident at the game in Sheffield last night. pic.twitter.com/lhSOkDu03Q

— The Nottingham Panthers (@PanthersIHC) October 29, 2023

The National Hockey League family mourns the passing of former Pittsburgh Penguin Adam Johnson. Our prayers and deepest condolences go to his family, friends and teammates. https://t.co/kgLN8bf0RV pic.twitter.com/fYEiuGw0yC

— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) October 29, 2023

Bulldog Hockey Mourns the Passing of Former Standout Adam Johnson https://t.co/59XpJqpffz pic.twitter.com/0cH801qdS4

— UMD Men’s Hockey (@UMDMensHockey) October 29, 2023

UMD coach mourns fallen hockey player Adam Johnson: “They all loved him” https://t.co/j57iwTel2H

— WCCO | CBS News Minnesota (@WCCO) October 30, 2023

Forever in our hearts. pic.twitter.com/oGkbtjANPN

— Ontario Reign (@ontarioreign) October 30, 2023

Very emotional scenes as Nottingham Panthers players laid flowers and spoke to hundreds of fans who arrived at the Motorpoint Arena to pay respects to player Adam Johnson who died last night #panthers pic.twitter.com/VnRfVEs6LX

— Sarah Hawley (formerly Teale) (@sarahhawleytv) October 29, 2023

I was able to find 21 of the 24 goals Adam Johnson scored in UMD colors. Listen to them, presented in chronological order, here: https://t.co/YI2r6ADUXi

— Bruce Ciskie (@BruceCiskie) October 29, 2023

Instead of silence, the Penguins asked for the crowd to give a final cheer for Adam Johnson. Quite a moment. pic.twitter.com/48TBRn4vh4

— Josh Yohe (@JoshYohe_PGH) October 30, 2023

Anybody looking/asking what they can do for Adam Johnson’s family up in Hibbing, there’s now a page up on MealTrain.

They have meal slots for anybody located up north and a way to donate for those who aren’t.

Do your thing, Minnesota hockey community.https://t.co/BJwY024HCk

— Chris Long (@ChrisLongKSTP) October 30, 2023

The post Remembering Adam Johnson appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

The defeat against a Penguins team that hasn’t been anything special dropped the Wild to 7-8-2 and tied them with three teams that are a point behind Nashville for the second and final wild card playoff spot in the Western Conference. The Wild’s third consecutive loss also gave them a 2-5-1 record at Xcel Energy Center, a building in which they went 31-8-2 during a franchise-record 113-point season in 2021-22.

“We’re just tired of losing,” defenseman Jon Merrill said. “It’s not something we want to get comfortable with.”

Unfortunately, it’s becoming clear the Wild might not have a choice.

Players can call as many meetings as they want, coach Dean Evason can continue to juggle lines and defensive pairings and Evason and his players can talk all they want about the need to work harder or play smarter.

At this point, who could blame Kirill Kaprizov for posting a ‘Help Wanted’ sign in the Wild’s dressing room? (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

But there is one thing that appears almost certain to remain a problem. This team is going to struggle to score goals. Winger Kirill Kaprizov remains a star player, although he entered Saturday’s game against Carolina having gone four games without a goal. The bigger problem: How much goal scoring depth exists behind Kaprizov?

The Wild doesn’t have anything close to a No. 1 center to put between Kaprizov and Mats Zuccarello, who also is struggling. Frederick Gaudreau had gotten the opportunity, but in practice on Friday he was replaced by Sam Steel, who was listed as the Wild’s fourth line left winger on Thursday. Gaudreau’s hard work has made him a favorite of Evason, but he isn’t qualified to center a first line and moving Steel to that spot amounts to a hockey Hail Mary.

Linemates Joel Eriksson Ek and Marcus Foligno are coming off seasons in which they had career-highs of 26 and 23 goals, respectively. But it would be silly not to expect regression and those two have seen very limited time with winger Jordan Greenway, whose presence with Eriksson Ek and Foligno made up the tough-to-play-against GREEF line. Greenway has appeared in only two games because of injury issues but might be set to return Saturday on a line with Gaudreau and Matt Boldy, who got off to a good start but has no goals and one point in his past seven games.

The Wild hoped that 2020 first-round center Marco Rossi would make a contribution, but he has spent much of the early season on the fourth line and has only one assist in 16 games. Rossi might one day be ready to ascend to the top line, but for right now he is playing between two hard workers in Connor Dewar and Mason Shaw.

All of this leaves one wondering exactly how the Wild is going to get the kind of offense they did last season when they averaged 3.8 goals per game? This season that figure has dipped to 2.8 goals and Minnesota hasn’t scored more than four goals in a game since getting six and losing by one to the Kings in the season’s second game.

The Wild have dealt with injuries but there is no one who is going to return and fix the goal-scoring issue. Greenway had only 10 goals last season. Ryan Hartman scored 34 goals as the center on the Wild’s top line, but that was a career year and he got off to such a rough start this year that he was demoted to wing. It’s also unknown when Hartman will return from an upper body injury suffered in a fight against Chicago in late October.

The obvious missing piece is winger Kevin Fiala, who finished second to Kaprizov last season with a career-high 33 goals and 85 points. Fiala was traded to the Kings during the offseason in large part because of the salary-cap issues the Wild face for the next three seasons due to the buyouts of Zach Parise and Ryan Suter’s contracts in the summer of 2021. Fiala and Boldy formed an immediate chemistry when the latter was summoned from Iowa of the AHL last year but so far Boldy hasn’t found that chemistry with any of his current teammates.

More is needed from players like Filip Gustavsson if Minnesota’s offensive woes continue. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

Pinning all of the Wild’s troubles on Fiala’s departure would be an exaggeration of the facts. There are other issues, such as Rossi’s slow start or Tyson Jost having been placed on waivers after he didn’t perform as expected. But there is no question this team misses Fiala, and it doesn’t help that backup  goalie Filip Gustavsson gave up a few terrible goals against the Penguins after Marc-Andre Fleury was placed on injured reserve because of an upper-body injury suffered in Tuesday’s loss at Nashville.

The Wild’s homestand won’t get any easier with Winnipeg and Toronto following the Hurricanes into town. Two of the last three games will provide weaker teams with Arizona and Anaheim bookending a visit from Connor McDavid and Edmonton. The problem is nothing is easy for the Wild and there’s no guarantee that’s going to change anytime soon.

“We want to win,” Eriksson Ek said. “We want to compete and win hockey games. And right now we’re not. If people were happy in here, I would be more worried than right now.”

Being unhappy is fine, but being able to do something about it is more important. Are these Wild talented enough to address their problems with more than words? They better hope so or this could turn into a long winter at the X.

The post Loss Fatigue Strikes Wild appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

The post Gallery: Wild vs Pens appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

The post Gallery: Wild vs. Penguins appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

Minnesota in giving mood in loss to struggling Penguins

St. Paul — Coming out of the Christmas break does not seem to be the best of times for the Wild.

This season’s game – a 3-1 home loss to Pittsburgh Saturday evening – was summed up in exactly four words by Minnesota forward Zach Parise:

“It was pretty ugly.”

The Wild have now gone 1-7-1 in their past eight post-Christmas games, dating back to losses in three of the final four seasons under coach Jacques Lemaire. They are 0-3-1 including an overtime loss last season under coach Mike Yeo.

“Unfortunately, it’s almost become a little bit predictable, these games after Christmas,” Yeo said. “It’s something we have to fix.”

Sidney Crosby had a goal and an assist for the winners, who also got goals from Eric Fehr at the 18:10 mark of the second period and – after Jason Zucker connected for the Wild – from Patric Hornqvist on a power play at 19:26 of the second period.

The Wild, now 1-3 in their past four games, did very little right and got very few breaks. It also hurt them when they took a costly penalty against Jared Spurgeon late in the second period that led to Pittsburgh’s third goal.

The crowd didn’t agree with the call.

Neither did Wild goalie Devan Dubnyk.

“I don’t understand that at all,” Dubnyk said. “Unfortunately it changed the course of the game, which is frustrating.”

This should have been an eminently winnable game for Minnesota: Pittsburgh came to town after losing five of its previous six games and also had to travel Saturday because games, practices and travel were not allowed by the NHL on Dec. 24-25.

Consequently, a season-high crowd of 19,234 showed up at the Xcel Energy Center expecting some prime hockey entertainment.

What they got came mostly from the Penguins.

According to Parise, that should not have been a shock because his team’s play has been off for a while.

“Puck movement really was not good at all tonight,” he said. “So we spent a lot of time in our own zone. A lot of turnovers. We had the puck a lot, we just gave it back to ’em pretty much the whole game.”

If not for Dubnyk, who stopped 29 of 32 shots, Saturday night’s game would have been more one-sided in favor of the Penguins. The Wild managed just four shots on goal in the first period and eight in the second period before launching 14 in a scoreless third.

Parise shook his head.

“Probably,” he said of the Penguins, “the easiest game they’re going to play all year.”

“We couldn’t execute,” Wild defenseman Ryan Suter said. “We couldn’t come out of our end, couldn’t come through the neutral zone. Turning pucks over to those guys is a tough thing to do, and that’s basically it.”

Yeo said he saw good effort and battle levels from his boys in a lackluster first period, but not much more.

“We couldn’t make a play, couldn’t make a pass,” he said. “Just slapping pucks to people, not taking ice when it’s there. Didn’t seem to have the desire to want the puck in a lot of situations. And with that, obviously, I think they just took the game over from there.”

Yeo was asked if the first half of Saturday’s game was his team’s sloppiest of the season.

“It’s up there,” he said, appearing visibly frustrated.

“I think we just have to pick up our game,” he went on. “We won a game going into the break – that’s good – but I think the last four or five games, we’ve got another level that we’ve got to get to.

“And a lot of individuals I would say through that time have to bring a little bit more. This is a time of year where do you fall asleep and lose ground or make a push and gain ground? Certainly between now and the all-star break, these games are important.”

By the time Yeo finished speaking, most of the big crowd had filtered out of the Xcel Energy Center, possibly looking for entertainment in a different direction after failing to receive an overabundance of it from the Wild.

“Chalk it up,” Dubnyk commented, “as not our best game.”

The post Post-Christmas blues hit Wild appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

Pens give Minnesota a taste of its own medicine in handing Wild first home loss

When the Wild took the ice to face the Pittsburgh Penguins they met the enemy and, in many ways, it was a lot like them. The Penguins used a familiar formula to hand Minnesota its first home loss by a 4-1 margin on Tuesday night at Xcel Energy Center in front of 18,788 attendees.

Goals by Nick Spaling, Brandon Sutter and Chris Kunitz gave the Penguins a 3-0 lead after two periods and mostly held off the Wild in the final period to earn a fifth straight win. Goaltender Thomas Greiss backstopped the win with 33 saves.

“They play the way we usually play where we’re on our toes,” Wild right wing Jason Pominville said. “They were getting pucks behind us and they made it tough on our D to break out.

“That’s the way we play when we’re going well and that’s what we did in the third.”

“We had a tough time really building any momentum and things kind of start to unravel a little bit because of our execution,” Wild coach Mike Yeo said. “We couldn’t get into any kind of rhythm whatsoever and it started to lead to a little bit of frustration and we really started to get away from our game.”

Pittsburgh arrived in St. Paul riding a ridiculous wave of power-play success. Through ten games, the Penguins had converted on 18 of 43 chances with the man advantage for an astonishing 41.9 percent clip.

The Pens wasted little time boosting that rate, scoring just 12 seconds into their first opportunity late in the second period.

With Wild defenseman Marco Scandella off for delay of game, Kunitz redirected Evgeni Malkin’s slap pass from the left point behind Wild goaltender Darcy Kuemper at the 15:33 mark to give Pittsburgh its three goal cushion after 40 minutes.

Pittsburgh center Marcel Goc reaches across the goal line deflect Wild center Mikko Koivu’s third period shot out of harm’s way. The play was eventually ruled no goal due to goaltender interference. (MHM Photo / Jordan Doffing)

Minnesota did limit the Pens to 1-for-3 with the man advantage and even scored shorthanded on Nino Niederreiter’s breakaway tally midway through the third. But that was all the Wild could muster on this night … or was it?

Wild captain Mikko Koivu appeared to have pulled his team within a one in the third during a goal mouth scramble when Pittsburgh center Marcel Goc reached behind the line to bat Koivu’s shot out of midair and out of the goal with 3:06 to play.

Replays clearly showed the puck to have been over the line. The officials ruled, however, that Mikael Granlund had interfered with Greiss thus making the play not reviewable despite the fact there was a lengthy delay to review the play.

“I’m not going to comment on that; it is what it is,” Yeo said when asked about the play.

(The full sequence of the play can be seen in photographer Jordan Doffing’s photo gallery)

After scoring its first two power-play goals of the season on Saturday to snap an 0-for-28 drought, Minnesota failed to build on that momentum, going scoreless in four opportunities.

More importantly, though, the Wild turned the puck over at an alarming rate (11 giveaways) and the Penguins were more than happy to take advantage.

Wild defenseman Matt Dumba’s failed first-period clearing attempt ended up on the stick of Thomas Vanek who promptly turned the puck over to Pittsburgh’s Steve Downie.  The journeyman forward drove the slot before dishing the puck to a streaking Nick Spaling for his second goal of the season at 19:06.

“We were turning pucks over early and when we have success we’re playing in their end, getting pucks behind their D and making them try to keep up with us,” Wild defenseman Ryan Suter said. “It was kind of vice-versa tonight.”

Pittsburgh extended its lead to 2-0 at 2:08 of the second on center Brandon Sutter’s third of the season.  Sutter skated up the left wing boards into the Minnesota zone before firing a wrist shot from the right faceoff dot which beat Kuemper beneath his blocker.

Pens right wing Patric Hornqvist nearly duplicated Sutter’s feat in virtually identical fashion just 57 seconds later but Kuemper gloved the shot for one of his 18 saves on the night.

“I think we took for granted just being at home,” Suter said. “We’ve had a lot of success here and we just came out flat and we thought that we just had to show up to get the win and that’s obviously not what happened.

“They play a lot like us and they were better than us tonight.”

Notes: Wild LW Matt Cooke, who collected 150 points (67-83=150) in 352 games during five seasons with Pittsburgh (2008-13), missed an opportunity to face his former team on Tuesday. Cooke was scratched for a third straight game with a lower body injury.  … Penguins D Olli Maatta remained in Pittsburgh where he underwent successful surgery to remove a tumor on his thyroid on Tuesday. Maatta, who is expected miss up to four weeks, was replaced in the lineup by D Robert Bortuzzo who made his season debut for the Pens.  … Tuesday’s game concludes the Wild’s three-game homestand and marks the first of five straight contests against Eastern Conference opponents for Minnesota which travels to Ottawa to face the Senators on Thursday night. The Penguins fly to Winnipeg to take on the Jets on Thursday in the second game of a season-long five-game road trip.

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