Going up against the league’s worst team, the 20-win San Jose Sharks, the Wild were hunting two points in the standings. They got them, but it took an offensive outburst and overcoming defense lapses to get there with an eventual 8-7 overtime win that also included a combined six goals from two returning starts.

Here are five rules from the Wild’s second overtime victory this week:

1. Kirill Kaprizov returned to the lineup for the first time since Jan. 26 after a lower-body injury, and he scored a power-play goal.

At the first stoppage of play, Kirill Kaprizov stepped onto the ice for the ensuing faceoff. Downtime in the game, but the Minnesota fans offered loud cheers for the winger playing in just his fourth game since Christmas.

Kaprizov scored a power-play goal late in the second period to tie the game 4-4. It was a snipe from down low after he tried earlier on the man advantage to fire the puck toward the net and perhaps get a tip from a teammate.

After the game got to overtime, Kaprizov got a feed from Mats Zuccarello and finished the crazy game with a blast from a similar spot on the ice for his 10th overtime winner. Game over.

“It was not our best defense game,” Kaprizov said. “But it’s nice win. We take these two points.”

2. Joel Eriksson Ek also returned to the lineup after being out injured since the 4 Nations Face-Off. He scored a career-high four goals.

Joel Eriksson Ek stole the show with a career-high four goals. His first goal was part of a chaotic couple of minutes in the six-goal second period. Then he scored three consecutive tallies with 11.9 left in the second period and 1 minute, 2 seconds into the third period – both on the power play – to complete his first hat trick since Feb. 19, 2024 against Vancouver.

He added goal No. 4 only 1 minute, 4 seconds later. The first three goals were all classic Eriksson Ek – rebounds and crashing the net, scoring from around the blue paint. The last one was a feed from Matt Boldy, who assisted on three of Eriksson Ek’s goals, that found him in the slot.

“Good bounces,” Eriksson Ek said. “They chirped me, or Hartzy (Ryan Hartman) did, that they were all in the crease, so the fourth one was a little bit better.”

Eriksson Ek’s season goal total went from nine to 13 for the season in 43 games played. He joined Marian Gaborik as the only two players in franchise history to score four-plus goals in a single game.

3. Matt Boldy had a four-assist game.

Four assists pushed Boldy’s season total to 30 and 71 points. Four helpers in a game also marks a career-high for the winger, tied for the second-highest single-game total in Wild franchise history. Kevin Fiala has five assists on April 22, 2022 vs. Seattle.

Boldy played on the top line opposite Marcus Foligno and Eriksson Ek at center. Boldy praised Foligno’s play in the last few games they’ve been on a line together.

“And then you got Ekky,” Boldy said. “I don’t think anyone can take the puck from him. He’s a beast.”

4. It was Marc-Andre Fleury’s night… until it wasn’t.

This was supposed to be a celebratory night in a very sentimental way for goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury and the Wild. He made likely his final start at home in the regular season Wednesday. It could have been another wonderful moment during his farewell tour. But not all these moments can have a fairytale ending.

The Wild had a 7-4 lead in the third period before three straight Sharks goals, including one of the final minute to tie the game and force overtime.

“As a goalie, those aren’t the most fun games to play,” Fleury said. “You know, too many goals going in.

“I think I’ll remember the national anthem and having two points.”

The best moment of the night for Fleury was taking his spot in between the pipes prior to the game. His three children joined him in the crease during the national anthem.

“I think it’ll be good memories for me, for them, right?” Fleury said. “Just to be on the ice and see what it feels like to be there and having all the people around.

“That was pretty cool.”

Fleury made 24 saves in the game, including a vintage windmill save in the second period, which generated a few “Fleury! Fleury! Fleury!” chants from the crowd.

After Kaprizov ended the game in overtime, a few Wild players mobbed Fleury near center ice. It was also the 70th overtime win for Fleury, which passed Martin Brodeur (69) for most in NHL history. Fleury is 13-9-1 this season, marking his 19th winning season of his career; only Brodeur has more with 20, according to NHL Stats.

5. San Jose is the worst team in the league, but the Wild engaged in a back-and-forth battle with the Sharks.

The Wild, which has struggled in recent weeks to put the puck in the net in the opening period, found itself down 1-0 about 12 minutes into the game. Then the Wild led 2-1, 3-2 and 5-4, taking one-goal leads into both intermissions. In between, the Wild also trailed 4-3 in the third period before those two power-play goals from Kaprizov and Eriksson Ek late in the second period.

In the third, the Wild were up 7-4 a couple of minutes into the period on Eriksson Ek’s fourth goal of the night. But the Wild had defensive lapses throughout the game, and the Sharks celebrated a Macklin Celebrini hat trick and eventually tied the game.

The Wild scored a season-high eight goals, needed every one to get two points.

“I would say from a defensive standpoint, it was uncharacteristic of us tonight in certain areas,” said Wild coach John Hynes. “Some of the things, we’ll address them and tighten up.”

The post Rink Rule: Sharks vs. Wild appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

St. Paul – There is no figuring the Minnesota Wild this season.

They’re good; they’re bad; they’re indifferent.

And that’s just during one period.

Ask them, however, and they will tell you it doesn’t matter.

It doesn’t matter because they are in the playoffs. The Wild lost 3-0 to the San Jose Sharks Tuesday night at the Xcel Energy Center and were booed off the ice, but the Nashville Predators defeated the Colorado Avalanche 4-3, eliminating the Avs the from Stanley Cup Playoff race.

“We’re in the playoffs,” Wild captain Mikko Koivu said. “That’s great news for the organization; that’s great news for the team; that’s great news for the fans. All that is positive right now.”

Minnesota locked up eighth place in the NHL Western Conference with 87 points and one game remaining, earning a spot in the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season.

Sure, the Wild have lost four in a row, and sure, they needed consecutive losses by the Avs to lurch into the playoffs.

But, said Wild interim coach John Torchetti, “I think everyone’s missing the point. You know, there’ve been different peaks and valleys this year, but the bottom line to it all is we peaked at the right time and we got into the playoffs. That’s a big thing for this team.”

The Wild have gone 15-10-1 since Torchetti took over on Feb. 14, which he insists is not “backing in” to the playoffs.

Koivu stressed the same thing.

“You earn every single point,” he said. “And every single team wants to be in the playoffs, and we’re there. So we can talk about it like we won six in a row. That’s probably what brought us there. So why don’t we talk about that rather than losing tonight.”

If the Wild were inconsistent under previous coach Mike Yeo – and they were, earning him a dismissal with a 23-22-10 mark including losses in his final eight games – that inconsistency has not exactly dissolved under Torchetti.

Two times since Feb. 14 the Wild won four in a row and then they won six straight in March. But they also lost two straight two times before this current four-game streak. And they bounced back.

“The guys have done a great job,” Torchetti said. “They could have folded when I got here, too, so I’m really proud of them.”

Winger Zach Parise, who tied with teammate Nino Niederreiter for a game-high four shots on goal as Minnesota outshot the Sharks 29-20, said the loss by Colorado should eliminate one problem.

“Enough with the negativity and we can move forward,” Parise said.

Negativity?

“It’s you guys,” Parise said, gesturing toward the media. “I was talking about you guys.”

The Wild managed just five shots on goal in the first period and fell behind when Logan Couture scored 4:43 after the opening faceoff. Goals in the second and third period by Patrick Marleau ruined any possible celebration expectations for the 24th consecutive crowd of 19,000-plus.

Negativity? There were a few boos as the Wild left the ice trailing 2-0 after two periods, and many more when they trudged off at game’s end.

“We have to get our game in order,” defenseman Ryan Suter said.

But four losses or four wins mean nothing if the team nonetheless makes the playoffs, goalie Devan Dubnyk said.

“These four games really don’t matter,” Dubnyk said.

“Your goal during the season is to get into the playoffs, and we’re in the playoffs,” Suter said. “Now our goal is to win the Stanley Cup. We have to prepare to be ready to accomplish that.”

Dubnyk called it “a strange week,” referring to potential ups that spun into gloom. He added, “It’s been talked about the last week, so it’s nice to get it out of the way and we can shift our focus. I don’t know it that was affecting what we were doing, but it doesn’t have to any more.”

Torchetti admitted that his players need to get back to skating fast and playing with “more energy.” But it’s likely, he noted, that clinching a playoff berth should help the mental aspect, at least.

“Maybe this,” he said, “will loosen some guys up.”

The post ALL Eyes On The Prize appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

Minnesota surrenders two-goal lead, falls to Sharks in OT

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Minnesota stages second consecutive third-period rally

Kyle Brodziak had the kind of start to this season that must have had him wondering about his hockey future.

Dispatched to the press box as an observer for five consecutive games, Brodziak got into just his fourth game of the season Thursday night and responded with two goals as the Wild rallied to force overtime and then defeated the San Jose Sharks 4-3 in a shootout.

He had difficulty removing the postgame smile from his mug after he converted two pinpoint Thomas Vanek passes to erase a 3-1 Sharks lead over the final 15 minutes of the third period.

“It definitely feels good,” Brodziak said.

No doubt.

A lunch-bucket center who had 22 goals and 22 assists during the 2011-12 season, Brodziak became a punchline for fans who could not grasp during the past two seasons why so many of his great chances hit a goalpost or a goaltender’s pads.

Before the season, Brodziak admitted that it was getting to him, as well.

At age 30 and in the final season of a three-year contract, he has gone from an occasional top-six Minnesota forward to a guy who scored just eight goals in 81 games last season and this season became healthy scratch for the first time in his career.

Always approachable and friendly, Brodziak shook his head about it Thursday after he was selected as the No. 1 star of a game won on shootout goals by Mikko Koivu and Jason Pominville.

“I’m definitely not the first guy that’s ever gone through it,” he said. “You’ve just got to stay positive and keep working hard so when you get the opportunity you can make the best of it.”

Brodziak’s play in front of 18,633 Xcel Energy Center customers delivered a statement about what the Wild appear to be made out of this season.

Erik Haula, Matt Cooke and Jonas Brodin missed the game because of injuries, and defenseman Jared Spurgeon crashed into the boards and left after playing just three shifts in the third period.

Minnesota started the third period trailing for the second consecutive game after blowing a three-goal lead in the third period Monday night against the New York Rangers, but for the second consecutive game the Wild roared back.

“That’s huge, to see that character in our team and what we can do in the third period there,” Wild forward Charlie Coyle said.

“We don’t want to be known as a team that folds in the third period,” forward Jason Zucker said.

The Wild needed a strong third period after playing fairly ragged through the first 30 minutes. Minnesota had just one hit in the first period and seven turnovers through two periods as the Sharks, despite being outshot all evening, climbed in front.

But the Wild did exactly what coach Mike Yeo wanted.

“What’s real important for us is another emotional win,” Yeo said, noting that two comeback victories in succession demonstrated that his team has, perhaps, has “learned a lesson.”

Pominville was a minus-2 before scoring the clinching shootout goal, but said the key statistic after some sloppy early play was the win.

“We didn’t have much going on,” he said. “We stuck with it. Again, it shows the type of locker room we have.”

Here are a few elements of what they have: Vanek, still without a goal this season, now leads the Wild with seven assists. Zucker scored a point in his fourth consecutive game. Goalie Darcy Kuemper stopped 25 of 28 shots and raised his record to 5-2 with a 1.70 goals-against mark. Koivu scored just his second goal of the season but won 22 of 28 faceoffs, put nine shots on goal and scored his 37th shootout goal.

The captain came in for special praise from Yeo.

“Every aspect of his game I was really impressed with,” Yeo said. “He was good at both ends of the ice and, no question, he was a strong leader for us.”

Yeo also liked the play of the Broziak-Vanek-Justin Fontaine line.

“Those guys were moving,” he said.

Brodziak insisted it was a team effort.

“You look at our lineup, everybody seems to be going,” he said. “Now, when I get back in, it’s definitely fun to be a part of it.”

The post Brodziak comes alive, sparks Wild comeback appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

Minnesota rallies from two goals down in third for shootout win over San Jose

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Featured Image:
San Jose Sharks forward Tommy Wingels in action against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Dec. 3, 2013 in Toronto, Ontario. (Photo: Getty Images/Graig Abel)

Tonight’s “Know Your Enemy” holds special meaning for multiple reasons and I felt that I really needed to give you all an introduction to why I very specifically chose Tommy Wingels as the subject of this piece instead of a less obvious choice such as former Wild player Brent Burns.

When I was starting out in hockey, I was a fan blogger covering the San Jose Sharks and Tommy Wingels was a kid getting his feet wet in the NHL. In the spring of 2012 Tommy, along with Phoenix Coyotes Andy Miele and Patrick Burke (now with the NHL department of player safety and son of Edina-raised long-time NHL executive Brian Burke), along with help from their friends and family, founded the You Can Play Project. You Can Play is a project created in memory of Patrick’s younger brother Brendan who had been not only a friend and team manager of Tommy and Andy’s at Miami U, but also an advocate for the rights of LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender) athletes and speaking out against homophobia in sports. Brendan was tragically killed in a car accident just months after coming out but left a lasting impression on all of the lives he touched.

As the project launched I was given my first opportunity ever to interview an NHL player, who happened to be the young Tommy Wingels himself. As I spoke at length with Tommy about the You Can Play Project and his dear friend Brendan I couldn’t help but think that this was the reason I was writing about hockey, to tell stories like his. Over the years since then I have had the opportunity to periodically check in with Tommy (as well as Patrick and Andy) on You Can Play and career changes, and applaud their commitment to the project as they lead hectic lives on the NHL stage.

When I started out on this journey as a hockey writer I had no idea where it would take me but I am incredibly grateful for the many paths it has presented to me. I have covered hockey in nearly every league in North America and quite literally from coast-to-coast. I felt the pull of home at a certain point, which brought me back to the state of hockey, the place that seeded the love of the game deep in me. Now, as a member of the Minnesota hockey press I have the honor and privilege of reporting on the Wild among many teams but always look back to the Sharks as the team I cut my teeth on as a hockey writer.

The game tonight was special to me as I view both the Wild and the Sharks as my “home team.” Let’s toss in the fact that tonight was the first time I have ever met Tommy Wingels face to face into the mix and then, as if that plus the two home teams thing and the You Can Play connection weren’t enough, today also would have been Brendan Burke’s 25th birthday.

With all of that being said, let’s get to know San Jose Sharks Center, Tommy Wingels with a little Q & A.

Q: You’ve really become a hybrid player for the Sharks, how do you really think you’ve developed since coming into the NHL?

A: As you play more games in this league you really find what makes you more effective as a player, what things are easy for you and what things take more work and effort. I think when I first started in this league I was more of a chip-and-chase, be physical and create energy kind of guy. As time has progressed I’ve become more confident in a lot of ways, including making plays and then the offense sort of comes with that. I try to be an all around player, play a full ice game and be involved shift in and shift out.

Q: You’ve been talked about as being one of those players who just happens to be in the right place at the right time. Personally I think there’s a lot of work that goes into that and it’s not just happenstance. What are your thoughts on that?

A: I couldn’t agree with you more. It’s about habits on the ice, it’s about what spots on the ice are easiest for you to get to, which spots are easy for you to work and which ones are your tendency to go to. You learn a lot about your game and at times yeah, you’re lucky that the puck squirts out where you are but if you prepare yourself well then you’ll be in those spots more often and the puck finds your stick.

Q: You are a former Redhawk (Miami U), which is now a part of the NCHC. Have you given any thought to the new conference and what it means for college hockey?

A: I actually have. My brother is a freshman there (Miami) this year. I follow them very closely and it’s obviously a big change in the college hockey dynamic. Whether it’s good for college hockey or bad for college hockey it’s not really my opinion that matters but it’s cool to travel to new buildings and play different teams like Denver, CC, St. Cloud, Minnesota-Duluth, and North Dakota. Those are buildings I would’ve loved to go to when I played there. So obviously it’s a lot of travel but it’s pretty fun to play in those different atmospheres.

Q: So given that you and your brother are both collegiate hockey players, how do you feel about the difference between college hockey and junior hockey? Does it actually make a difference when you get to the NHL level?

A: No. There are different routes and they are both good routes. For me, and my family we believed college hockey was the best way for us. Obviously professional hockey doesn’t work out for everyone and I’m very fortunate to be playing, it’s a dream come true but who knows how long it will last. If you can prepare yourself for a career after hockey ultimately I think that’s really important and I’ve told my brother the same thing and told him to enjoy his time at college, get his degree and if pro hockey works out then great but that’s not a thought until you finish up school.

Q: Its a couple years down the road now since the You Can Play Project was launched, how do you feel about it’s progress so far?

A: I think great. It’s actually ironic because today would’ve been Brendan’s 25^th birthday. I think the success that the project has had, it just took off, is a credit to the people behind it; the players, coaches and GMs pushing it to. I think we are in an environment where if a player wants to come out they can feel comfortable. It was unknown territory when we launched the project and there were some apprehensions about how it was going to be taken by the players but it’s amazing to see. No one could have predicted the success it’s had so far and we need to continue to build on it and create a safe environment in our locker rooms.

Want to know more about the You Can Play Project? Visit www.youcanplayproject.org and follow them on twitter at @YouCanPlayTeam! You can also follow the author of this article, your truly at @AmySnow17!

The post Know Your Enemy ~ San Jose Sharks Tommy Wingels appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.