The Wild’s Matt Boldy displays again his penchant for scoring important goals

CHICAGO – As if his shot slamming into the crossbar wasn’t enough of a close call for Matt Boldy, the puck also clipped the post on the way down to the ice for a double whammy late while the Wild were trailing.

But make-or-break time is when Boldy is locked in.

So, when he received a do-over in the waning minutes of the third period on Sunday night at Chicago, the winger missed iron and struck twine.

“He’ll put the team on his back and try to create something and make it happen,” defenseman Jake Middleton said.

A month into the season, Boldy is tied with Kirill Kaprizov for the team lead in goals with nine, and most of them have been meaningful — a knack that was on display during the Wild’s road trip finale when they rallied for a 2-1 overtime loss to the Blackhawks at United Center thanks to Boldy’s equalizer.

“You just want to score,” Boldy said. “Doesn’t matter when it is.”

Still, his timing has been impeccable.

The wrister he whistled by Blackhawks goalie Petr Mrazek with 4 minutes, 31 seconds left in regulation to help the Wild recover from a sluggish start was his first game-tying goal, but Boldy’s been clutch in other situations.

His four game-winners lead the NHL, one more than the likes of Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby, Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon and Edmonton’s Leon Draisaitl.

Before his decisive finish at San Jose last Thursday on the power play, Boldy capitalized in overtime on Nov. 3 vs. Toronto. The game before that, his empty-netter was upgraded from lead extender to game-winner against Tampa Bay. He also had the final go-ahead goal in the Wild’s previous victory over the Lightning on Oct. 24.

As for his other four tallies, Boldy opened the scoring in the Wild’s first game of the season, a 3-2 win against Columbus. He doubled their lead vs. Seattle, an eventual 5-4 shootout loss, added to the 5-1 rout of Florida and capped off his first two-goal effort with an empty-netter in that recent 5-2 victory over the Sharks.

“Try to step up and embrace the moment rather than be afraid of it,” Boldy said.

This mindset is reflected in his results, but it also reinforces the spike in confidence coach John Hynes sees in Boldy in his fourth Wild campaign after the team drafted the Boston College standout with the 12th pick during the first round in 2019.

After reaching 29 goals last season, two shy of his career high but 28 more than the one he had through the first 12 games, Boldy represented the United States at the World Championships and racked up six goals and eight assists in eight games.

“To go to the World Championships, lead it in scoring, play a major role I think was a major boost for him,” said Hynes, who coached Team USA, “particularly on that type of a team where there’s a lot of NHL All-Stars and high-end players.”

Now, Boldy showcases his skill but also strength, power and responsibility.

“Maturity,” Hynes said, and that poise is unmistakable when Boldy is under pressure.

“I always want to score,” said Boldy, 23. “The more games I’ve played, another season in the books last year, more games at Worlds, you just learn how to do it, I think. It’s so hard. Guys are so good. There’s no one on the ice in this league that doesn’t bring something to the table that they’re really good at.

“You just find different ways to do it. I think I’ve just learned alternative routes to scoring goals and where to be and when to call for pucks and win battles and stuff like that.”

In Boldy, the Wild have a willing participant when the game is in gut-check.

“Oh yeah, he wants the puck,” Middleton said. “[He’s] 7-Eleven. He’s always open.”

But it’s what Boldy does with that opportunity that sets him apart and makes him vital to the Wild, who would be returning home with one fewer point — not to mention with four fewer wins overall — if it wasn’t for him.

“He’s playing his best in the biggest moments,” Hynes said. “That’s what you need from guys that get quality ice time and guys that you count on to be big-time players for you night in and night out, and he’s been able to deliver.”