Wild Take Down Canadiens 3-0 Despite Injuries – Hockey Writers – Minnesota Wild

The Minnesota Wild returned home after a quick three-game road trip on Thursday evening, Nov. 14, while hosting the Montreal Canadiens. They were looking to bounce back after falling to the Chicago Blackhawks in overtime on Sunday evening, Nov. 10.

Neither team looks strong in open play, but as the game wore on, the Wild began to feel comfortable despite losing two players in the lineup. They were already without Jonas Brodin due to injury, but would continue to lose Mats Zuccarello and Joel Eriksson Ek as well. Despite all odds against them, the Wild pulled out a 3-0 victory and moved their record to 11-2-3, while the Canadiens went 5-10-2.

Recap of the game

The first half was quiet for both teams as there were no solid chances, and there were only six shots between the two sides. The second half started the same way, but the Wild started to push a bit and eventually broke through. Matt Boldy, who has been the Wild’s mainstay this season, added his 10th of the season to put his team up 1-0.

He was assisted by Marcus Johansson and Kirill Kaprizov, who are not Boldy’s usual teammates, but due to injuries, the lines have jumped. The Wild were down by 10, which meant plenty of ice time to go, and they held it together well. Filip Gustavsson was also up to the task of hitting the net, so when shots came to him, he was ready to block them.

The third period saw the Wild’s strongest chances, including a four-minute power play. Although it looked like they would not succeed, they scored a goal with four seconds left in the advantage. At this time, Marco Rossi gave his team two goals, assisted by two defenders, Jared Spurgeon and Declan Chisholm.

Things got tense as time went on, but the Wild did a good job of staying put together long enough to pull out the win. Kaprizov already had an assist on the night, but had to get an empty netter to extend the lead to 3-0 with 20 seconds remaining and seal the victory.

Related: Wild lose Zuccarello and Eriksson Ek to injury against Canadiens

The Wild are expected to practice tomorrow and Saturday morning before their home game against the Dallas Stars on Saturday evening, Nov. 16. The Canadiens will continue their journey, as their next stop will be against the Columbus Blue Jackets, too. on Saturday evening.