Sometimes you don’t just pop out of a slump. There’s a process to getting back on track. And the Minnesota Wild liked much about that process on Tuesday, even if their losing streak grew by another game.

Facing Winnipeg for the first time this season, with the NHL’s best penalty killers and one of the league’s elite goalies visiting, the Wild had the table set for a feel-good win, only to see it slip away.

Nino Niederreiter tied the game in the third and Kyle Connor scored in overtime for for the Jets, who led early, trailed late, then rallied for a 4-3 win at Grand Casino Arena.

It was the fourth consecutive loss for the Wild, who led with nine minutes to play following a third period power play goal by Marcus Johansson. Still, their coach saw progress.

“Sometimes you don’t just come right out of it. There’s a process to get out of it,” Wild coach John Hynes said, after this team fell to 3-5-3. “There’s a style of game. There’s a dig in factor, there’s a diligence to your game that you need to have. And then you climb and you play well, and maybe sometimes you don’t get totally rewarded for what it is.”

Winnipeg Jets left wing Kyle Connor (81) celebrates his game winning overtime goal against the Minnesota Wild during an NHL hockey game Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Matt Krohn)

Filip Gustavsson had 17 saves in the loss.

After trailing 2-0 early, Kirill Kaprizov and Brock Faber scored second period goals for Minnesota.

“If we play that same game 10 times over, I think we have a good chance of winning a lot of those games,” Faber said. “So … it stings. We’ve just got to get back to it and stick with it.”

Minnesota came out shooting, sending 10 pucks toward Connor Hellebuyck in the first 10 minutes, although the goalie – who is renowned for his ability to be square to the puck – was up to the task, making the 10 saves look routine.

On the other end of the rink, Winnipeg got traffic in front of the Wild net and scored on consecutive shifts, taking a 2-0 lead on goals by Gabriel Vilardi and Vladislav Namestnikov just 22 seconds apart.

It was the continuation of a recent trend that has seen opponents score first in the past five games.

“We need to get off to better starts,” Gustavsson said. “We can’t be down two goals, three goals or stuff like that in the first period. After that we can get going.”

Minnesota’s power play, which had scored three times in its previous two games, got an opportunity early in the second period, but versus Winnipeg’s NHL-leading penalty killers, they could sustain little pressure.

The first opportunity the home crowd had to roar came four minutes into the middle frame, when Wild defenseman Jake Middleton exchanged punches with Jets blueliner Luke Schenn.

“It was like, we’re down two. I think the whole building was a little dead and needed some pick me up,” said Middleton. “That was all. I just try to help out some way.”

The Wild sent practically everyone to the net to finally solve Hellebuyck six minutes into the middle frame.

The goalie made a shoulder save on a wrist shot by captain Jared Spurgeon, but the rebound sailed high into the air, then landed in the crease. Amid the mad scramble of bodies that followed, Kaprizov was able to poke in the loose puck a split second before the net was dislodged.

The referee on scene initially ruled no goal, but after a short conversation they reversed course. Winnipeg did not ask for a review.

Spurgeon’s assist on the play was the 300th of his NHL career. He became the third player in Wild history to reach 300 assists, after Mikko Koivu (504) and Ryan Suter (314).

A simple lack of puck luck prevented the Wild from tying the game near the midway point of the second when a Joel Ericksson Ek shot slid all the way along, but not over, the goal line.

But good fortune smiled a few minutes later to knot the game at 2-2.

Faber was crashing to the net and took a pass from Marco Rossi. Faber’s shot went over the net, hit the glass above the end boards and caromed back into the crease. As Hellebuyck scrambled to get back into position, the puck appeared to deflect off the goalie’s skate and into the net. It was Faber’s first goal of the season.

The second period ended with boos raining down on the officiating crew, and Matt Boldy in the penalty box. In the final seconds of the period, Boldly took a swipe at the puck while racing with Jets defenseman Dylan DeMelo. The puck bounced up and hit DeMelo in the face, and a referee whistled Boldy for high sticking, although replay revealed at no time did Boldy’s stick touch DeMelo.

“He gets hit in the head, his head goes back, it’s close, so it’s a tough call for the ref,” Boldy said. “There’s no bad feelings there at all.”

After what can best be described as a make-up call gave the Wild a third period power play, Faber’s long shot was stopped by Hellebuyck. But the loose puck in the crease deflected off the knee pad of a Jets defender and in. Johansson was the closest Wild player to the puck and got credit for the goal — his fourth in the past three games.

Hellebuyck finished with 33 saves for the Jets, who will host the Wild on Nov. 23 in Manitoba.

The Wild’s six-game homestand rolls along with the Pittsburgh Penguins making their only trip of the season to Minnesota on Thursday.

Briefly

As a part of their season-long 25th anniversary celebration, the Wild wore replica jerseys, pants and socks similar to those the team sported when they entered the NHL as an expansion team for the 2000-01 season. Dropping the ceremonial first puck before the game was a quartet of Wild players from the 2000s – Marian Gaborik, Brian Rolston, Pierre-Marc Bouchard and Stephane Vellieux.

Related Articles

Important next step as Mats Zuccarello skates with Wild

Youthful defensive play proving costly in sluggish Wild start

A loss, but not pointless, as Wild’s comeback fails in OT

Marcus Foligno is Wild’s latest injury bug victim

Wild fall behind Utah quickly, lose for fourth time in five games

Familiar faces were plentiful at TRIA Rink on Tuesday morning as the Minnesota Wild prepared for their first meeting with divisional rival Winnipeg at their morning skate.

Hanging out at the practice facility that did not exist when they were on the Minnesota roster, 2000s standouts Marian Gaborik, Brian Rolston and Pierre-Marc Bouchard got reacquainted with old friends like Wild broadcaster Tom Reid, and got to meet several of the current Wild players in advance of their appearances at Grand Casino Arena as part of the franchise’s 25th anniversary celebration.

Perhaps the best news for the Wild and their fans was a few familiar faces on the ice. Marcus Foligno practiced after missing the previous game due to an upper body injury. Alongside Foligno, Mats Zuccarello was on the ice for the first time this season as his recovery from a lower body injury continues.

After morning skate, Wild coach John Hynes listed Foligno as questionable to play versus the Jets, but the veteran was a full participant in warmups and played wing on the team’s third line with Vinnie Hinostroza at the other wing and Ryan Hartman at center.

The injury was the latest development in a start to the season for Foligno that has mirrored the rest of the Wild — namely, disappointing. He had no goals or assists in Minnesota’s first nine games, and is one of the players that they are counting on to provide more of a physical presence, which is among the things the Wild have lacked in the early going.

For Zuccarello, his work on Tuesday was the next step toward a return that the team hopes will come in November.

“Zuccy, it’s good to see him back out. He’s in that next level of progression for him where he’s starting to ramp it up a little bit individually,” Hynes said. “Now he’s back into team practices, which is good to see, too. For him, he has made some really good progress.”

Zuccarello, 38, was among the team leaders in assists last season with 54 in 69 games played, and would give the Wild another top six forward option upon returning to the lineup. He missed 13 games last season after getting hit below the belt by a teammate’s shot during a game — an ailment which required surgery in November 2024.

When the Wild announced his current injury in late September, they predicted Zuccarello would be out for up to eight weeks. Hynes said that is still the schedule they anticipate.

“Timeline remains the same,” Hynes said, noting that Zuccarello is not being exposed to any on-ice contact yet. “I think he’s in week five today, and it was six to eight (weeks). So he’s progressing well, and we’ll see where it goes from here.”

Hynes added that veteran defenseman Zach Bogosian, who missed his sixth consecutive game versus Winnipeg and has been seen wearing a walking boot, is considered week to week.

Johnson returns

Last month, Wild general manager Bill Guerin did not have an on-ice job available for veteran defenseman Jack Johnson, who participated in the Wild’s most recent training camp on a professional tryout, but was released before the regular season started.

Johnson, 38, played half of last season for Columbus and with more than 1,200 NHL games on his roster, is sliding toward retirement.

On Tuesday, Johnson was shadowing Guerin and some of the Wild’s hockey operations staff as the former Shattuck-St. Mary’s and University of Michigan standout begins learning the off-ice side of the NHL.

Guerin said he was happy to welcome Johnson back to Minnesota to get a look at the way they handle hockey operations, and it was reminiscent of 2010. That is when Guerin made the transition from playing for the Pittsburgh Penguins — the last stop in a 1,263-game NHL career — to a development coach role there.

He eventually worked his way up to assistant general manager in Pittsburgh before being hired to his first NHL general manager job with the Wild in 2019.

Related Articles

Youthful defensive play proving costly in sluggish Wild start

A loss, but not pointless, as Wild’s comeback fails in OT

Marcus Foligno is Wild’s latest injury bug victim

Wild fall behind Utah quickly, lose for fourth time in five games

After fifth loss in nine games, Wild say it’s too early to panic

Before the world’s top young hockey players get to St. Paul and Minneapolis for the 2026 World Junior Hockey Championship, eight of the national teams will hold training camps at a quartet of sites around Minnesota. Organizers have released the schedule for the pre-tournament series of exhibition games, which begin Dec. 16.

Duluth will host the teams from U.S., Finland and Germany at Amsoil Arena with Finland facing Germany on Dec. 19, U.S. vs. Germany on Dec. 21 and Finland vs. U.S. on Dec. 23.

The Sanford Center in Bemidji will be the home base for Czechia, Latvia and Slovakia, with Czechia playing Latvia on Dec. 19, Latvia vs. Slovakia on Dec. 21 and Slovakia vs. Czechia on Dec. 23.

Denmark will prep for the tournament at the Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center in Mankato, where Switzerland will scrimmage Minnesota State Mankato on Dec. 16 and Denmark will face Canada on Dec. 23.

At the Rochester Rec Center, Switzerland will hold its pre-tournament camp, with exhibition games versus Denmark on Dec. 21 and versus Sweden on Dec. 23.

Ticket information can be found on the mnsportsandevents.org website for both the pre-tournament series and for the World Juniors tournament games at Grand Casino Arena and 3M Arena at Mariucci, which begin on Dec. 26.

Blessed Htoo made the most of a golden opportunity to end what turned into a roller coaster of emotions for Como Park.

St. Paul Como Park attacker SK, top, celebrates with goalkeeper Louden DeGaetano (00) after they defeated Simley 4-3 in overtime of the Class 2A Semifinal of the Boys State Soccer Tournament at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025. (Craig Lassig / Special to the Pioneer Press)

He does know that his tally with 5:42 left in double overtime means the Cougars will play for a state title after beating Simley 4-3 in a Class 2A boys soccer semifinal Tuesday at U.S. Bank Stadium.

A feed from Stephan N’da split a pair of defenders, getting the ball to Htoo racing into the box.

“I saw the keeper was shuffling to come out or not and then at the last (second) he came out, I went to the left and passed it into the goal,” Htoo said.

Unseeded in the tournament, Como Park (15-5-1) will face top-seeded Blake (18-1-2) in Friday’s public school vs. private school 2:45 p.m. final back in downtown Minneapolis.

“We want to represent what the people of St. Paul can bring to soccer,” said Cougars captain Henry Simmons. “We want to show the immigrants who come to St. Paul what they can do.”

Winning a second school title — the Cougars won the 2013 Class A crown — would be a case of climbing the ladder. Como Park, which finished fourth in the St. Paul City Conference, upset No. 3 New Ulm 3-1 in the quarterfinals. Simley (17-2-2) was the No. 2 seed.

St. Paul Como Park goalkeeper Ta Htoo, left, stops a shot by Simley defender Elvis Hernandez Paz (26) during the second half of the Class 2A Semifinal of the Boys State Soccer Tournament at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025. St. Paul Como Park won 4-3 in overtime. (Craig Lassig / Special to the Pioneer Press)

“We’re happy to have made state for the first time in nine years, but we weren’t just happy to be here. After watching film of all seven other teams that qualified, we felt we could give anybody a game,” said coach Brendan Doyle.

Simley coach David Albornoz said the only thing his team did not do is win.

“You want to walk out of these games with a sense of pride that you have done everything you can do. … To come back from 3-1, to overcome a couple of mistakes and still be able to compete, we did everything we could. I’m extremely proud.”

It helps to have the recently named Class 2A Mr. Soccer in your lineup.

Simley’s Elvis Hernandez Paz and Michael Hernandez Ruiz, two of five finalists for the award, combined on a textbook give-and-go with Paz, the award winner, scoring in the 68th minute to make it 3-2.

Paz did so again with 2:06 left, converting a Luis Ramirez Reyes feed and tipping the ball over the Como Park goalkeeper a split-second before the players collided.

“He earned the title, Mr. Soccer. There’s a reason for it, and he showcased that today,” Albornoz said.

St. Paul Como Park fans celebrate after they defeated Simley in overtime during the Class 2A Semifinal of the Boys State Soccer Tournament at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025. (Craig Lassig / Special to the Pioneer Press)

Htoo couldn’t have been in a better spot at the right time to make it 3-1 Como Park in the 58th minute, interrupting a punt attempt by Simley goalkeeper Dylan Gonzalez and scoring into an open net.

But Gonzalez more than redeemed himself and forced overtime with a leaping, fully extended one-handed tip to thwart a Patrick Tennison chip with 26 seconds left in regulation.

Pai Chi’s right-footed shot from 45 yards away was perfectly placed just under the crossbar for a 2-1 Como Park lead in the 31st minute. Doyle said Chi scored from 50 yards out in a section semifinal win over St. Paul Washington.

Blake 4, Northfield 1

Landon Bell, Jackson Fulton and Moises Hueta scored in the first half, and the Bears beat No. 4 Northfield 4-1.

James Lewis added a late goal for Blake, which seeks its third crown, and first in Class AA. It won Class A titles in 2008 and 2018.

Josue Lazaro scored for Northfield (12-4-5).