Wild center Mason Shaw, in another comeback, gets his first goal in more than a year

The timing wasn’t lost on Mason Shaw.

Almost exactly 12 months — or 366 days, as Shaw pointed out — after he suffered yet another ACL tear that sidelined him from hockey, Shaw commemorated being a year out from that knee injury in the most Shaw way: He scored his first goal since being back in the NHL with the Wild.

And it was an important goal, too, the beginning of a 3-2 victory against the Senators on Tuesday at Xcel Energy Center that moved the Wild six points out of a playoff spot.

“That one felt good,” Shaw said afterward, “and I’m in a lot better spirits this time than I was a year ago today. Just really happy. Obviously, getting a win makes everything feel better and something I look back on really proud of what it took to get to this point.”

This wasn’t the second time Shaw healed his knee or even the third.

After he caught a rut last April 1 at Vegas, the winger was dealing with his fourth ACL tear and third since the Wild drafted him in 2017 with a fourth-round pick.

Reaching the NHL motivated Shaw during his previous recoveries, and he finally became a regular with the Wild last season after nearly 200 games in the minors. He notched his first NHL goal, earned a spot on the penalty kill and was on the brink of being named the Wild’s nominee for the Masterton Trophy, which recognizes the player who best exemplifies perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey, when his storybook season was stalled by a familiar obstacle.

Well-acquainted with the surgery and rehab, Shaw vowed to return.

In October, he signed with the Wild’s minor league team in Iowa. After nine games, the Wild promoted him in February, and the 25-year-old made his season debut March 2 at St. Louis. The next game, he had an assist against San Jose — his lone point until Tuesday when he tallied his first NHL goal since March 21, 2023.

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“It’s been such a long road for him, mentally and physically,” rookie defenseman Brock Faber said. “I’m sure not many people thought he was going to play another NHL game, much less score in an NHL game. So, nothing but happy for him.”

Not only was the goal timely, a jolt to the Wild after an otherwise sleepy start, but Shaw’s first-period finish in his 13th game was a deft one-timer off a saucer pass from defenseman Zach Bogosian that dropped right in front of Shaw as he crashed the Ottawa crease.

“I didn’t really know a ton about him until I got here,” said Bogosian, who arrived in a November trade from Tampa Bay, “and then even being here before he was called up, you heard guys talk about him quite a bit, which is kind of rare. You’re kind of focused on the guys in the room, but it seemed like Shawzy’s name was always popping up in conversations.

“He’s just a great teammate, and we’re lucky to have him.”

With eight games remaining on the Wild’s calendar, including a Thursday home meeting with Colorado, their season has evolved into scoreboard scouting and point projections in a high-stakes playoff race they might not win.

On Tuesday, Shaw and his trademark resilience added another consideration to the Wild’s pursuit, and that’s perspective.

“I’ve had a lot of time to think about how much the game of hockey means to me, especially this locker room here when you’re not a part of it for a long time,” he said. “I feel like I try to do a good job enjoying these moments and recognizing how much work you’ve put in and every individual in this room has put in to get to this point in their career.

“But at the same time, I realize there’s no time to hang your hat on what you’ve done to get to this point because this league moves fast and bodies come in every year. So, just try to take care of my role and my job on the ice every night, and I guess that’s really the goal of everyone on this team.”