If the Wild were curious what it was like to play them on the road, the Canucks showed them.
Led by strong goaltending, a reputable defense and timely scoring — sound familiar? — Vancouver is also one of the NHL’s most ungracious visitors and remained a handful on Tuesday night to almost spoil the Wild’s homestand finale.
Instead, the Wild overcame their doppelgänger 3-2 in overtime at Xcel Energy Center and extend their win streak to four games, which matches their season high. At 17-4-4 and with 38 points after a 3-0 homestand, the Wild are still first in the NHL.
“Really good test,” Frederick Gaudreau said. “They’re skilled, but they play a strong structure, too. To be able to win on the road says a lot about a team, so we knew we were in for a big game.”
Kirill Kaprizov split a 2-2 tie with 24 seconds to go in 3-on-3 action during a marathon 1 minute, 45 second shift, burying a 2-on-1 pass from Marco Rossi after Burnsville’s Brock Boeser hit the post during a 2-on-0 chance for the Canucks.
“A little tired,” Kaprizov said with a laugh.
This was Kaprizov’s team-leading 16th goal, franchise-best ninth overtime game-winner and league-high 39th point.
The 10 game-winning goals he’s factored in this season (four goals and six assists) are the most in the NHL.