Just when the Wild are rebounding in St. Paul and rekindling their offense, they have to go on a two-week hiatus.
Wild surge past Islanders 6-3, head into break after sweeping homestand
Minnesota trailed by two goals in the second period. Matt Boldy, with three points, was among the reasons that didn’t last.
The Minnesota Star Tribune
February 9, 2025 at 2:24PM
“Just weird the way the season works,” captain Jared Spurgeon said.
But after overcoming a successful homecoming by the Islanders’ Minnesotans to rally 6-3 Saturday at Xcel Energy Center while playing down another forward because of injury, the Wild could have momentum waiting for them after the 4 Nations Face-Off.
“Obviously, we feel like we’re playing well and in a good spot,” Spurgeon said. “But there’s a lot of season left. Take the break, the mental break, but also for your body as well, and come back ready to go.”
Frederick Gaudreau, Matt Boldy and Yakov Trenin sparked the second-period comeback, with Boldy and Trenin scoring 51 seconds apart to turn a 3-1 deficit into a one-goal lead.
Boldy capitalized again in the third period for a three-point performance that tied his season high, and Marcus Foligno tacked on an empty-netter with 4:14 to go for his 10th goal.
“We got more emotionally engaged in the game,” coach John Hynes said, “and played a little bit more north and direct.”
Goaltender Filip Gustavsson finished with 31 saves, and the Wild won back-to-back games at home for the first time since Nov. 30 and Dec. 3 despite being shorthanded.
Joel Eriksson Ek was scratched with a lower-body injury that isn’t a major issue, Hynes said, and Eriksson Ek is still planning to go to the 4 Nations tournament for Sweden. Because the Wild didn’t have any other forwards available on their roster (Ryan Hartman is serving a 10-game suspension), they utilized seven defensemen with Jon Merrill drawing in. But the different look didn’t hurt the Wild.
“Play 11 forwards, you play more, and when you play more, you feel better,” Trenin said.
Only 3:19 into the first period, Marco Rossi buried a Boldy pass from between the circles to give the Wild their 34th game-opening goal, tied for the most in the NHL.
Just 13 seconds later, New York answered back on a wrister by Kyle Palmieri, and that 1-1 tie held until the second period, when the Minnesota natives took over at the expense of the Wild.
Warroad’s Brock Nelson connected on a one-timer 28 seconds into the period before a jumping keep-in by Hibbing’s Scott Perunovich off a botched clear from Mats Zuccarello set up Edina’s Anders Lee at 7:17.
“We knew that wasn’t good enough, and that wasn’t gonna win us the game,” Boldy said. “So, to be able to kind of turn the page and go back to how we play and play hard and simple was kind of the key.”
This was the Islanders’ second game in as many nights, and when they began to fade later in the period, the Wild took advantage.
On their second and final power play, the Wild benefited from a New York own goal as Gaudreau’s shot clipped Tony DeAngelo en route to the net at 13:21. (The Islanders blanked on two power plays). Then with 2:01 left in the period, Boldy deflected in a Brodin shot for the equalizer; the assist was the 200th of Brodin’s career.
Finally, at 18:50, the Wild moved ahead on a tip by Trenin as he set a screen in front of Islanders goalie Ilya Sorokin, who had 27 saves. The goal was the second in as many games for Trenin, who was a consistent factor all night while registering a career-high eight shots. Spurgeon also picked up an assist, his second of the game.
Another bad bounce for DeAngelo gave the Wild some cushion 5:53 into the third period: Boldy’s throw to the middle rolled behind Sorokin after hitting DeAngelo’s stick. Boldy’s 20 goals are second on the Wild behind only the 23 from injured superstar Kirill Kaprizov. This is his third straight 20-goal season.
“It wasn’t going well for him early in the game, and some of that was self-inflicted,” Hynes said. “But … when we needed him, he came through for us.”
The Wild’s two-game upturn is part of five victories in their past seven games.
Big picture: They’re third in the Central Division at 33-19-4 with 70 points.
“We’ve earned the position that we’re in, and now we get a little bit of a break, which is well-deserved, and I think the timing is good,” Hynes said. “Then we want to come back and reset and get right to it again for those final [26] games and play our best down the stretch.
“That’s what happens when you get in this situation. So, I’m looking forward to it.”
The team stands third in the Central Division and must protect that position to make the playoffs and improve it to gain home-ice advantage.
