Wild players step up to beat Bruins in game filled with encouraging signs

BOSTON — A win in the NHL is worth two points, and that's exactly what the Wild earned — no more, no less.

But there was nothing run-of-the-mill about what they accomplished Tuesday in Boston.

In their second game in as many nights and after a self-inflicted loss, the Wild overcame a Bruins team ranking near the top of the league to prevail 4-3 in overtime at TD Garden and keep their slow but steady climb up the standings going.

Oh, and they were also down their captain, their other best defenseman and their leading scorer.

Yeah, this victory was unique.

"It's an important win for us because these are the games that you have to try to find ways to win," said coach John Hynes, who is 8-3 since taking over behind the bench. "There are adverse conditions in a lot of different ways, whether it's back-to-back against a rested team [or] guys out of your lineup.

"And in a highly competitive, physical game, to find a way to win, it is important for us."

The Wild play host to Montreal at Xcel Energy Center on Thursday night.

On Tuesday, many players impacted the outcome.

This was Kirill Kaprizov's first statement game of the season, a two-goal blitz that started in the third period when he made a pesky 2-1 deficit from the last second of the first period disappear. Ryan Hartman extended that momentum with a go-ahead goal, and suddenly the Wild were mere minutes away from successfully completing a comeback after their previous attempt Monday fell short in a 4-3 loss at Pittsburgh that reeked of penalties.

But Boston used an ensuing high-sticking infraction against Alex Goligoski to pull goaltender Linus Ullmark and turn the power play into a 6-on-4 setup that spilled into a free-for-all in front of the Wild's net, before Brad Marchand sailed the loose puck by a sprawled Marc-Andre Fleury.

"You get down a little for a moment as it goes in, but that's the reason why we got that third goal," Hartman said. "We had a lead. They're a good team. They're going to do everything they can to put the puck in the net, and they did."

Fleury didn't sense any panic from the Wild in the aftermath.

"Maybe if it was earlier in the season, we might have tensed up a little bit," he said. "But it was good. There was still confidence."

That's certainly the impression Kaprizov's game-winning shot gave, his wind-up off a 3-on-1 rush a blistering one-timer that eluded Ullmark.

Kaprizov is now the Wild's all-time leader in overtime goals with seven.

"He's confident, scoring goals," Hartman said. "He's our star player, and we love when he scores."

There were other encouraging signs for the Wild.

Marcus Johansson shrugged off a 24-game goal drought, capitalizing for the first time since Oct. 21.

His second goal of the season opened the scoring in the first period on the power play.

"It obviously hasn't been easy," said Johansson, who pumped his fist in celebration. "It feels like the looks have been there, but puck's not going in and it's frustrating. But as long as you get chances, that's something.

"It's good to see one go in. Hopefully it'll come a little easier now."

Brock Faber became the first rookie in team history to log three games of 30-plus minutes in a season.

He skated 30:19, a minute less than the 31:34 career-high he posted last Saturday vs. Vancouver.

Faber's workload has spiked in the absence of captain Jared Spurgeon and Jonas Brodin as they deal with injury, adversity that has now reached the offense with Mats Zuccarello sidelined week-to-week with an upper-body injury.

The Wild's manpower against the Bruins was further tested when Pat Maroon was unavailable for most of the second while serving a misconduct penalty for instigating a fight, and Vinni Lettieri left early after blocking a shot; Lettieri, however, gave a thumbs-up after the game.

But Kaprizov's breakout and the Wild's depth only added up to a win because of Fleury's 40 saves, which doubled as a highlight reel — so much so that players had differing opinions on which of his stops were their favorite.

Hartman was impressed by the pad stack — "Real vintage," he said — while Fleury preferred the couple toe saves he made in the third period.

"There was too many," Johansson said. "Unbelievable. It was fun to watch."

After what he described as a "flattering" and "emotional" experience the night before when the Penguins crowd chanted, "We want Fleury," throughout the game as their former netminder sat on the bench backing up Filip Gustavsson, Fleury commemorated his return to the crease for his 997th career game by digging up a performance from the archives, and the timing was appropriate.

The 39-year-old is three victories away from surpassing Patrick Roy to become the second-winningest goalie in NHL history.

Every win of his, from No. 1 to 549, has counted the same, but they're not identical.

The Wild should know the feeling.

"I'm just really happy for the players," Hynes said. "Coming into back-to-backs against a rested team in a real hard, physical game, to continue to push through and find a way to win, it is really important for us."