Oct 13, 2024
The Wild entered Sunday’s game at Winnipeg short-handed, missing injured center Joel Eriksson Ek and defenseman Jared Spurgeon. It ended short-handed, as well, with the Wild starting overtime on the wrong end of a four-on-three advantage that rather quickly resulted in the game-winning goal in the Jets’ 2-1 victory at Canada Life Centre in Winnipeg. Late in regulation, Wild defenseman Zach Bogosian was forced to hold the stick of Winnipeg center Mark Scheifele, who was at the crease waiting to pounce on a rebound for the potential game-winner. That penalty might have earned the Wild (1-0-2) their third point in three games, but it put them behind the eight ball for overtime, and it took just 51 seconds before wing Kyle Connor one-timed a shot past Minnesota goaltender Filip Gustavsson to win it for the Jets. The assist, of course, was from Scheifele, who had scored the Jets’ last four goals before Connor’s game-winner. He now has four goals and two assists in three games for the 3-0 Jets. In his second start of the season, Gustavsson stopped 33 of 34 shots in regulation, his second sharp performance in as many games. He stopped 31 of 33 shots in the Wild’s 3-2 victory over Columbus in the season opener. “To be very honest with you, the last two games, there’s so much good out of it, and great teaching moments that we can use to build our group,” Wild coach John Hynes told reporters in Winnipeg. Jake Middleton scored in the first period for the Wild, who were playing their first road game, the first of seven that will take them through the end of the month. Connor Hellebuyck stopped 26 of 27 shots for Winnipeg. “We’re confident. We had a great camp, as you guys all saw,” Middleton told reporters in Winnipeg. “We have guys that we’re able to plug in. Our depth is really good, and our confidence is at a spot where we’re not overly worried at the moment. We just want those guys to get healthy.” Eriksson Ek suffered a broken nose in Saturday’s shootout loss to Seattle, and Spurgeon a lower body injury. Neither traveled to Winnipeg with the team, but the Wild said Eriksson Ek is likely to play on Tuesday in St. Louis. The Wild took a quick 1-0 lead when Middleton took a pass from Marco Rossi at the right point and fired a quick wrist shot on net that beat Hellebuyck high to his stick side with just more than 4 minutes off the clock. Minnesota was less than 3 seconds away from entering the first intermission with that lead intact, but a faceoff in the Wild zone with 2.9 seconds left in the frame resulted in the Jets’ first goal. The Jets pulled Hellebuyck for an extra attacker but only two Winnipeg players touched the puck. Adam Lowry beat Matt Boldy on the faceoff and managed to tip the puck toward Scheifele, who one-timed it off the far post and past Gustavsson to tie the game 1-1 with seven-tenths of a second left. “It’s very small margins, and no one’s going to be perfect all night. There’s going to be small mistakes,” Gustavsson told reporters after the game. “Sometimes those mistakes are going to cost you.” Related Articles Minnesota Wild | Jesper Wallstedt working to be ready for his next Wild start Minnesota Wild | Wild practice invaded by Kraken Minnesota Wild | On the eve of the Wild’s regular season opener, four reasons for optimism Minnesota Wild | The Wild will start with three goalies. Now what? Minnesota Wild | Is three a crowd for Wild goaltenders?
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