Hannah Brandt’s goal with 2.7 seconds left lifts Boston over PWHL Minnesota 2-1

All they needed to do was hang on for a few more seconds. If PWHL Minnesota had run out the clock Saturday, its game against Boston would have gone to overtime, ensuring Minnesota picked up the lone point needed to clinch a playoff spot.

Hannah Brandt wouldn’t let that happen.

The former Gophers standout played the spoiler in her home state, scoring with 2.7 seconds remaining to lift Boston to a 2-1 victory at Xcel Energy Center. Her dramatic goal staved off elimination for Boston and extended the wait for Minnesota, which has now lost three consecutive opportunities to lock up a PWHL playoff berth.

Minnesota would have gotten the berth with a victory or even an overtime loss. Instead, it wasn’t able to deliver what a crowd announced at 9,977 had come to see in the regular-season home finale.

“We’re just finding ways to lose hockey games right now,” coach Ken Klee said. “It’s gut-wrenching. … We can’t have one pass beat us.”

That pass, though, was a beauty. It came from Hilary Knight, Brandt’s teammate on the U.S. Olympic squad before they reunited on PWHL Boston.

With the score tied 1-1 in the final seconds, Brandt slipped behind the Minnesota defense. She collected Knight’s no-look pass from the right wall, cruised down the slot, sent the puck into the top of the net and got mobbed by her teammates as a stunned crowd looked on.

“A little bit of a nail-biter, but our team never gave up,” Brandt said. “We knew we had to go out in the third and play like our lives depended on it. I think we did that.”

Minnesota has two more chances to get the playoff spot, as the regular season ends next week with games at second-place Toronto and last-place New York. Saturday, it didn’t match Boston’s urgency, a fact noted by goaltender Nicole Hensley.

In the third period, she said, Minnesota simply tried to hold on. It entered the final 20 minutes with a 1-0 lead on a goal by Kelly Pannek, who knocked in a rebound with 70 seconds left in the second period.

At that point, Minnesota was outshooting Boston 24-12. Only 1:42 into the third period, Boston tied it on Alina Mueller’s power-play goal, then took the upper hand. It outshot Minnesota 18-8 in the third period, while Minnesota committed two penalties and failed to convert on a power play that began with 3:41 left.

Boston goalie Emma Soderberg played a major role in the victory. The former Minnesota Duluth star stopped 31 shots and helped hold Minnesota scoreless on three power-play opportunities.

“I think our mindset changed [in the third period],” Hensley said. “We went from pushing and pushing, trying to get a goal, to ‘OK, we have one, let’s just hold it.’

“It’s pretty disappointing. I think we need some people in our locker room to step up, including myself, and there’s no better time than right now.”

Minnesota’s offense played well for long stretches, generating lots of good scoring chances. But the team hasn’t been able to cash in recently. It has only one goal in its past seven periods of play, and a defensive breakdown Saturday helped spring Brandt for the late breakaway.

With that playoff berth still in limbo, Hensley said the players will have to move on quickly.

“You get that close to getting what you need and don’t get it, that’s pretty frustrating,’’ she said. “I think we played pretty well. It was a bad 10 seconds at the end.”

The PWHL will hold its second draft in Minnesota in June, though the league did not announce an exact date or location.

The six-team league will pick 42 players over seven rounds. Last year, Minnesota held the first overall pick and selected Taylor Heise.