Matt Boldy scored his second goal of the game 39 seconds into overtime as the Minnesota Wild rallied, twice, on the road, finding a way to win 4-3 over the Winnipeg Jets in their first game back from the holiday break.
With set-up passes from Kirill Kaprizov and Quinn Hughes, Boldy ripped a shot past Winnipeg goalie Connor Hellebuyck after Minnesota forced overtime in the final half-minute of regulation with an extra-attacker goal.
Boldy, Kaprizov and Mats Zuccarello scored in regulation for the Wild, who got back on the winning track after going losing twice — once in overtime — before Christmas. They got a 23-save effort from Jesper Wallstedt, who is now 11-2-2 this season. His workload included a game-saving stop in the opening minute of overtime.
Boldy now has 24 goals, which is one better than Kaprizov for the team lead.
Outshooting Winnipeg early, the Wild briefly found themselves trailing when Gustav Nyquist split the Minnesota defense and snapped a wrist shot past Wallstedt. The Wild coaches immediately challenged the play for offside and, after a brief review, the goal came off the board when it was determined that Nino Niederreiter had entered the offensive zone prematurely.
Minnesota is now a perfect 4 for 4 on challenges this season.
The reprieve was short-lived. Just a few shifts later, Josh Morrissey’s slap shot from the high slot sailed past the goalie to give Winnipeg the early lead.
Both teams went down a defenseman on the next shift, as Minnesota’s Jake Middleton dropped the gloves with Winnipeg big man Logan Stanley, with both getting a five-minute timeout.
With 91 seconds left in the first, and Boldy under heavy duress from Jets defenseman Luke Schenn at the top of the crease, a Jared Spurgeon shot deflected off Boldy and in, helping the Wild forge a tie after the opening period, despite being outshot 10-5.
Kaprizov tied Boldy for the goals lead in the second period, walking around a Winnipeg defender and popping in a backhand shot to give the Wild their first lead. But the final few minutes of the middle frame were disastrous for Minnesota. First, the Jets tied the game, then Spurgeon left the rink after taking a high stick to the face.
With less than three seconds to play before the second intermission, a lost defensive zone faceoff and a quick wrist shot past Wallstedt sent the Jets to the dressing room with a 3-2 lead.
After Spurgeon returned and the Wild juggled their top two lines to start the third, they got a late power play. They tested the Jets’ net but could not get a third puck over the line until the final half-minute of regulation.
Another Jets penalty and Wallstedt heading to the bench for an extra attacker gave the Wild a 6-on-4 advantage, and Zuccarello forced overtime with his third goal of the season.
Hellebuyck finished with 15 saves for Winnipeg. Minnesota is 2-0-1 now versus the Jets this season. They will play once more in the regular season, with the Jets visiting Grand Casino Arena on Jan. 15.
The Wild’s season-long, seven-game road trip continues Monday night when they visit the Vegas Golden Knights for the first time this season. The game is a 9 p.m. Central start. Minnesota notched a 3-2 overtime win over the Knights in mid-November in St. Paul.
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