Wild remain tops in NHL with 5-1 victory over the Ducks

ANAHEIM, CALIF. – The Wild keep losing players but not games.

Relying on their most patchwork lineup to date with four regulars missing, they creamed the Ducks 5-1 on Friday night at Honda Center to win five in a row for the first time this season and remain atop the NHL with 40 points (18-4-4).

This is the Wild’s longest streak since they rattled off six straight victories Dec. 10-21, 2022.

“It just shows a lot of character from the team,” Marco Rossi said. “We know we have some key guys out, but nothing changes for us. We want to win the games, and we know everyone has to step up.”

The new-look top line of Kirill Kaprizov, Matt Boldy and Rossi had a field day, combining for nine points, including the game-winner by Rossi at 8:03 of the second period.

“They were obviously difference makers in the game with the points, for sure,” coach John Hynes said. “But I thought that they kind of set the example of how we needed to play the game. They were smart with the puck. All three of them were intense.

“It was good to see, and I’m glad that when they play that style of game, they get rewarded for it on the scoresheet.”

Their dominance helped continue the Wild’s prowess on the road where they’re 11-1-3.

Not only do their 25 road points top the league, but the Wild’s 11 wins are tied with the Devils for first. However the team that achieved the bulk of that success wasn’t on the ice against Anaheim.

Mats Zuccarello has been sidelined since mid-November and Jonas Brodin and Jakub Lauko the last week-plus. Joel Eriksson Ek recently joined them on the injury list after he was hurt on Tuesday in the 3-2 overtime win over the Canucks.

Eriksson Ek, who is week-to-week with a lower-body injury, is now on injured reserve. Brodin (upper body) and Zuccarello (lower body) are also considered week-to-week, but the Wild could get Lauko (lower body) back soon; Hynes wouldn’t rule him out for Saturday’s game at Los Angeles.

Reese Johnson became the latest call-up to crack the lineup, drawing in on the fourth line for his team debut after signing with the Wild during the offseason.

As has been the case since this rash of injuries hit the Wild, their leaders picked up the slack.

“New guys came in the team, play hard, play our game like coach ask to play,” Kaprizov said. “We just try our best. That’s it.”

After a ho-hum first period, the Wild pulled away from the Ducks during the second.

Stationed on the left point during a reconfigured power play in Eriksson Ek’s absence, Kaprizov fed Rossi a cross-zone pass at the back post that Rossi drained at 4:22.

Wild-Ducks scoring summary

At 8:03 — and just 28 seconds after goalie Filip Gustavsson denied Brett Leason in tight — Anaheim goalie John Gibson inadvertently kicked in the puck with his left skate after Boldy threw the puck toward the net while Rossi was battling in front with a Ducks defenseman, a fortuitous bounce that was credited to Rossi for his ninth goal of the season.

“Hit my hand,” Rossi said, “so I’ll take it.

Boldy snapped a six-game drought at 10:51 with his 12th when he polished off a tic-tac-toe passing play featuring Kaprizov and Rossi that dissected the Anaheim defense.

“We made plays — high-quality plays, not just chucking it around,” Boldy said, “and we were able to find the back of the net.”

Then 1:21 into the third period, Kaprizov got a stick on a loose puck for his team-leading 17th goal just after a Wild power play (1-for-3) expired; the Ducks went 0-for-2 but spoiled Gustavsson’s shutout bid with a Brock McGinn goal at 16:37 of the third period.

But the Wild were smiling just a few minutes later: Yakov Trenin, during Anaheim’s second power play, capitalized shorthanded into an empty net with 1:17 to go for his first goal with the Wild, a finish that teed off an exuberant celebration on the Wild bench.

“It felt great,” said Trenin, who signed a four-year, $14 million contract during the summer as the Wild’s splashiest free-agent acquisition. “And it’s not the goal itself but how the team responded. Everybody was so happy to give me knuckle. It’s so special.”

Gustavsson totaled 26 saves while improving to 13-4-3 with a league-leading .931 save percentage and 1.99 goals-against average; Gibson had 28 stops.

The three points for Boldy tied his season high.

Rossi, elevated to center the No.1 line with Eriksson Ek out, has at least a point in 18 of 26 games, and his three-point effort tied his career best.

“Marco’s a first line center,” Boldy said. “There’s no doubt about it. So, for him to step into that role, I don’t want to say it’s easy, but he’s used to it.”

And Kaprizov?

The winger has an NHL-leading 42 points through 25 games after becoming the fastest in Wild history to get to 40, breaking his own record by six games. His seven three-point games are tied with New Jersey’s Jack Hughes for the most in the league, and Kaprizov’s 372 points (in 303 games) passed Ryan Suter for fifth place in Wild history; captain Jared Spurgeon (394), Zach Parise (400) and Marian Gaborik (437) are all within reach if Kaprizov maintains his current scoring pace, a clip that would put him behind only Mikko Koivu (709).

“Fun to be out there with him,” Boldy said.

Kaprizov has at least a point in his last 13 road games and has racked up eight points during the Wild’s win streak — which started vs. the Sabres on Nov. 27 when the team began playing without Zuccarello, Brodin and Lauko.

“When we eventually get guys back, then we need to count on them to come in and be ready to play,” Hynes said, “and be ready to play at the level that we need them to and the style of game that’s given us a chance to be good so far.”