Wild upstage Blues 6-4 for fourth win in a row

Sarah McLellan, The Minnesota Star Tribune on Jan 7, 2025

Published in Hockey

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ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Wild continue to be unfazed by adversity, within their lineup and on the scoreboard.

After blowing a two-goal lead on the heels of losing another key defenseman to injury, the Wild rallied to upstage the St. Louis Blues 6-4 Tuesday night at Xcel Energy Center for their fourth consecutive win.

Matt Boldy delivered the final go-ahead goal 3 minutes, 57 seconds into the third period to snap a 4-4 tie after a Jake Middleton equalizer only 1:16 into the period in the defenseman’s return from injury.

Marcus Johansson drained an empty-netter from the Wild’s side of center with 36 seconds to go.

Joel Eriksson Ek started the comeback 9:41 into the second period on his second goal in as many games, but St. Louis trailed by two goals first.

The Blues scored four in a row, including three in 3:09 earlier in the second, to chase Wild goalie Filip Gustavsson, who finished with 14 saves. Marc-Andre Fleury made 16 stops in relief to earn the victory, which was the Wild’s third this season against their Central Division rival.

All of St. Louis’ offense came against a shorthanded Wild defense: Although Middleton was back after missing 11 games, Brock Faber left near the midway point of the first period with an upper-body injury.

Faber’s exit coincided with the Wild losing control after a crisp start led by their back end.

Just 1:23 after the opening faceoff, Middleton funneled the puck to Zach Bogosian for a point shot by Blues goalie Jordan Binnington (20 saves). Only 49 seconds later, Jon Merrill posted his first goal of the season against a scrambling Binnington, who had dropped his stick earlier in the play after a collision with Mats Zuccarello that didn’t merit a whistle.

These were the third-fastest pair of goals (2:12) to begin a game in Wild history.

The Wild continued to move the puck well and get up ice with ease, but the pace eventually progressed out of their comfort zone and that’s when St. Louis cruised.

At 13:26, Pavel Buchnevich capitalized off the rush.

In the second, the Blues pulled even with the Wild just seven seconds into their first and only power play, with Jordan Kyrou wiring a puck through traffic from the left side at 1:24. (The Wild didn’t receive a single power play and just before St. Louis’ tying goal, Zuccarello had a shot swiped off the goal line by the Blues’ Colton Parayko.)

Another quick transition by St. Louis that stretched out the Wild was buried by Jake Neighbours to break the 2-2 tie at 2:51. Robert Thomas doubled that lead by 4:33, stuffing the puck by Gustavsson at the near post after a frazzled-looking Wild couldn’t clear the zone.

The Wild were better the rest of the period, with Eriksson Ek’s flinging in a puck off Ryan Hartman’s second assist of the night to preview the team’s fifth third-period comeback.

Middleton, who hadn’t played since getting hit with a shot on the hand on Dec. 12 vs. the Oilers, wristed in a turnover forced by Zuccarello — this after he was denied during a 2-on-0 rush with Boldy earlier.

Zuccarello also set up the game-winner by Boldy, passing off to Boldy during a 2-on-1 against the Blues’ Philip Broberg after Broberg broke his stick.

Boldy’s seven game-winning goals are second in the NHL. His 15 goals overall are tied for second on the Wild with Marco Rossi; he also scored in the Wild’s 4-0 shutout of the Hurricanes on Saturday that wrapped a perfect, two-win road trip.

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