The Wild avoided a ho-hum road trip, rallying for a gutsy 4-3 shootout win against the Blackhawks on Sunday at United Center to wrap their five-game trek with seven out of a possible 10 points.
Wild finish solid road trip with shootout win in Chicago; Ryan Hartman hurt in fight
The Minnesota Wild, shorthanded throughout their five-game road trip, still managed to grab seven of 10 points after rallying for a 4-3 win over Chicago.
October 31, 2022 at 12:42PM
Overall, the Wild went 3-1-1 despite being shorthanded.
"This wasn't easy," goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury told reporters in Chicago. "This was a long road trip, a lot of travel. Everybody's good. Every team's good, right? Everybody's got a chance to win. So, there's no easy nights.
"I'm proud of the way that the guys battled tonight."
How the Wild won: Kirill Kaprizov and Frederick Gaudreau converted in the shootout, with Gaudreau improving to 2-for-3 in his NHL career.
At the other end, Fleury stopped Chicago captain Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane to record his 62nd shootout victory, which is the most in NHL history.
"That just means I've been around for a while," said Fleury, who made 23 saves in regulation while former Wild goalie Alex Stalock finished with 32 for the Blackhawks.
The win was also coach Dean Evason's 100th, and he became the fifth fastest to reach the benchmark.
"It's great," Evason told reporters in Chicago. "We're just happy to get two points."
But those weren't the only milestones.
Mason Shaw scored his first career goal and later chipped in an assist for his first two NHL points.
Shaw, who was one of the final cuts at training camp but joined the Wild for this trip due to Jordan Greenway's injury, gave the Wild a 2-1 lead in the first period when he stuffed in a Sam Steel pass at 10 minutes, 52 seconds.
"Extremely excited to help out," Shaw told reporters in Chicago.
Eventually, at 10:27 of the second, Chicago answered back when Toews buried a loose puck in the crease. But the Wild didn't lose their composure despite being down a forward.
Ryan Hartman left early in the second period with an upper-body injury after he and the Blackhawks' Jarred Tinordi attempted to fight, a brief tussle that saw Hartman grab at his right side after he tumbled to the ice.
Evason mentioned after the game the injury was serious enough that the Wild would make a call-up from the minors.
Already, the Wild were without Marcus Foligno, who was sidelined with an upper-body injury, and Greenway's been out since suffering an upper-body injury on Oct. 20.
"We're going to need everybody to step up now," Evason said.
Turning point: Chicago led for only a combined 39 seconds thanks to the Wild's Matt Boldy.
The winger answered back on the very next shift after each of the Blackhawks' go-ahead goals.
After Jake McCabe fooled Fleury on a shot through traffic at 6:39 of the first period, Boldy erased the Wild's deficit on a five-hole shot just 22 seconds later.
Then after Andreas Athanasiou put Chicago ahead 3-2 in the third period with a rising backhander at 10:02, Boldy retaliated even faster than before — wiring a puck by Stalock just 17 seconds after Athanasiou scored.
"We needed some people to step up like that and he did," Evason said.
This was the second two-goal game of the season for Boldy, whose five tallies are tied for second on the team, and the 21-year-old is the second-youngest player to record 20 career goals with the Wild.
None of the Wild's production came on the power play; they went 0-for-2, and the Blackhawks didn't receive a single opportunity.
What it means: After an overtime loss in Boston and wins at Montreal and Ottawa, the Wild had a chance to make this trip a resounding success.
A setback in Detroit made that outcome more difficult to achieve but because of the resiliency the Wild had in Chicago, the results are admirable considering how the team started the season.
At 4-4-1, the Wild have recovered from their 0-3 debut and there were flashes against the Canadiens and Senators of what this team could be: a combination of smart scoring, effective defending and locked-in goaltending.
Factor in the determination that was on display vs. the Blackhawks, and the Wild are showcasing their potential.
A return home for a pair of games should reveal more about their identity.
The Star Tribune did not send the writer of this article to the game. This was written using a broadcast, interviews and other material.
High-profile victims in Minnesota include Mike Conley of the Timberwolves and Twins co-owner Jim Pohlad.
