Wild @ Nashville Predators 0-3 - Saturday, April 01, 2017
The Nashville Predators are tied for third place in the Central Division after a 3-0 win against the Minnesota Wild at Bridgestone Arena. The Predators (40-27-11) are tied with the St. Louis Blues and play them Sunday. If Nashville wins or reaches overtime, it would become the final Western team to clinch a berth into the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Predators lead the Los Angeles Kings by 10 points for the Western second wild card; the Kings have five games remaining. The Wild (45-25-8) are 1-3-2 in their past six games and this loss allowed the Chicago Blackhawks to clinch the Central Division and top seed in the West. The Predators could play the Wild in the Western Conference First Round. Rinne made 31 saves for his third shutout of the season. He ended a two-game losing streak and is 6-2-0 in his past eight games. Filip Forsberg gave the Predators a 1-0 lead at 17:21 of the second period on a redirection. Roman Josi took the shot from the point, and Forsberg tipped it past Wild goaltender Alex Stalock for his 31st goal. Kevin Fiala made it 2-0 10 seconds later with a backhand-to-forehand move on the rush for his 10th goal. P.K. Subban scored his 10th, an empty-net goal at 17:37 of the third period that made it 3-0.
* Fiala got a loose puck along the wall in the offensive zone and cut to the middle of the ice, got around Christian Folin and beat Stalock around the right pad.
* Johansen won the faceoff back to Josi on Forsberg's goal.
* Stalock played for the second time in three days. He defeated the Ottawa Senators 5-1 on Thursday, which was his first NHL game since Feb. 11, 2016. … Wild center Martin Hanzal won 14 of 20 faceoffs. … The Predators have 12 players with at least 10 goals, most in their history. … Wild forward Jason Zucker (lower body) and Predators forward James Neal (upper body) were scratched. Neal was hit in the head by a puck in a 3-1 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday.
* Rinne made a save on Zach Parise in the second period that knocked the mask off of his head and kept the game 0-0.
* Rinne got just enough of his glove on a one-timer from Mikael Granlund in the third period to change the trajectory of the puck. It hit the post and preserved the shutout.
Colorado Avalanche @ Wild 2-5 - Sunday, April 02, 2017
The Minnesota Wild maintained their seven-point lead for second place in the Central Division with a 5-2 win against the Colorado Avalanche at Xcel Energy Center. The Wild (46-25-8) are ahead of the St. Louis Blues, who are two points up on the Nashville Predators for third place in the division after a 4-1 victory against Nashville on Sunday. Devan Dubnyk made 30 saves for Minnesota, which is 3-8-2 in its past 13 games but needs two points to secure home-ice advantage in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Wild scored twice in 23 seconds during the first period. Martin Hanzal scored his third goal since joining the Wild at 5:04 and Jared Spurgeon made it 2-0 at 5:27. Spurgeon has six points (two goals, four assists) in his past six games.
Gabriel Landeskog finished a 2-on-1 breakaway to make it 2-1 at 17:03, but Erik Haula scored with 20 seconds remaining in the period to make it 3-1. Zach Parise scored six seconds into a power play at 3:35 of the second period, and Jordan Schroeder scored top-shelf at 16:16 to give the Wild a 5-1 lead.Mikko Rantanen scored on a breakaway at 17:09 to make it 5-2. The Avalanche (21-54-3) are 1-8-0 in their past nine games and 4-14-0 in their past 18. Jeremy Smith made 13 saves after replacing Calvin Pickard at 3:35 of the second period.* Haula took a no-look feed from Mikael Granlund for his first goal in 18 games (since Feb. 28).
* Dubnyk robbed Matt Duchene, getting the tip of his glove on a high shot at 8:06 of the third period. "It was one of those plays; they hit the guy going across, and I maybe left my feet a little bit earlier than I would like," Dubnyk said. "That's the street hockey, what you do as a kid. You just break out of the shell and throw a piece of equipment over there, and I was fortunate to get a piece of it."
* Charlie Coyle centered the puck for Hanzal, who beat Pickard stick-side to give the Wild a 1-0 lead.
* Jason Pominville won all three of his faceoffs and got his 400th NHL career assist.
The Minnesota Wild clinched second place in the Central Division with a 5-3 win against the Carolina Hurricanes at Xcel Energy Center. Devan Dubnyk made 27 saves for the Wild (47-25-8), who have won two in a row and will open their Western Conference First Round series at home against either the St. Louis Blues or Nashville Predators. Hurricanes forward Bryan Bickell had three hits playing 11:49 in his first NHL game since Oct. 30. Bickell was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis on Nov. 11 and returned to hockey with Charlotte of the American Hockey League on Feb. 25. Cam Ward made 31 saves for Carolina (38-29-12). Zach Parise scored at 5:39 of the first period to give the Wild a 1-0 lead. Lee Stempniak tied it 1-1 1:17 later with his 200th NHL goal, 16th of the season. Jordan Schroeder gave Minnesota a 2-1 lead at 11:05. Jeff Skinner tied it 2-2 with a power-play goal at 16:19. Nino Niederreiter gave the Wild a 3-2 lead with a rebound goal at 18:16, and Skinner scored his 35th of the season at 19:48 for a 3-3 tie. Skinner has 18 points (14 goals, four assists) in his past 14 games. Charlie Coyle gave Minnesota a 4-3 lead at 7:25 of the second period, and Niederreiter scored at 14:18 of the third for a 5-3 edge.
* Eric Staal passed up to Parise, who one-timed a shot past Ward for his 19th goal of the season.
* Skinner split the defense and passed up to Stempniak for the tying goal.
* Ward denied Jason Pominville with a glove save at 16:15 of the second period.
* Martin Hanzal blocked a shot by Teuvo Teravainen at 3:59 of the third period to keep the game tied. Hanzal won 12 faceoffs and had four shots on goal.
* Wild defenseman Jared Spurgeon left the game with a lower-body injury near the end of the second period. … Staal had two assists to give him 15 points (eight goals, seven assists) in his past 15 games.
Wild @ Colorado Avalanche 4-3 - Thursday, April 06, 2017
The Minnesota Wild defeated the Colorado Avalanche 4-3 at Pepsi Center to match their records for wins (48) and points (104) in a season set in 2006-07.
Mikael Granlund, Nino Niederreiter, Jason Zucker and Nate Prosser scored for the Wild (48-25-8), who have clinched second place in the Central Division and close out the regular season Saturday against the Coyotes. Devan Dubnyk had 30 saves for his 40th win, an NHL career high and Wild record. The Avalanche thought they tied it 4-4 with 1:14 left in regulation when Sven Andrighetto poked a loose puck into the net on a power play. After a video review said it was a good goal, it was disallowed for goalie interference following a challenge by Wild coach Bruce Boudreau. Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said he was told that Nathan MacKinnon pushed Brodin into Dubnyk, impeding his ability to make a save. Niederreiter went back door to convert Eric Staal's pass for his 25th goal at 6:43 of the third period to give the Wild a 3-2 lead and Granlund scored from a sharp angle for his 26th goal at 10:00 to make it 4-2. The Avalanche got within 4-3 at 14:20 on Matt Nieto's seventh goal. Francois Beauchemin and Tyson Jost also scored for the Avalanche (22-55-3), who finished 13-26-2 at home. The Avalanche closed to 2-1 at 5:44 of the second period when Jost, playing his fourth NHL game, scored his first NHL goal. Beauchemin tied it 2-2 with his fourth of the season at 14:55. The Wild took a 2-0 lead in the first period on goals by Zucker and Prosser. Zucker scored his 22nd 10 seconds into the game and Prosser made it 2-0 at 14:09 with his second.
* Jost scored after Gabriel Landeskog's pass went to him after it went off Rocco Grimaldi's stick in the slot. Jost maneuvered in the right circle to avoid a stick on the ice and shot over Dubnyk's left shoulder.
* Pickard snared Staal's shot with his glove at 18:48 of the second period after Niederreiter set him up in the slot.
* Pickard left the net to play the puck after Wild forward Charlie Coyle dumped it in off the end boards. Zucker knocked it off the goalie's stick and scored on a wraparound.
* Avalanche defenseman Duncan Siemens had six hits in 11:05 and helped kill two Wild power plays.
Wild @ Phoenix Coyotes 3-1 - Saturday, April 08, 2017
The Minnesota Wild set their records for wins and points in a season with a 3-1 victory against the Coyotes at Gila River Arena. Minnesota (49-25-8), which has won four in a row, finished with 106 points, two more than its previous record set in 2006-07. The Wild will face the St. Louis Blues in the Western Conference First Round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Wild coach Bruce Boudreau said the matchup against the Blues will be a challenge. Martin Hanzal scored his 20th goal in his return to Phoenix and Darcy Kuemper made 20 saves for his first win since Feb. 16. Hanzal was traded by the Coyotes to the Wild on Feb. 26. It was an emotional night for Hanzal; former teammate Craig Cunningham was honored before the game, and Hanzal took part in the ceremonial faceoff. There was a video tribute to Hanzal played during the first period. His close friend, Zbynek Michalek, was playing his final game with the Coyotes. Hanzal told the parking attendant on his way into the arena to tell Mike Smith to please let him score No. 20. Brendan Perlini scored his 14th goal and Smith made 42 saves for the Coyotes (30-42-10). Minnesota scored on its first shot when Jordan Martinook mishandled Smith's pass from behind the net and Erik Haula put the puck into an empty net at 4:13 to make it 1-0. Staal made it 2-0 when he one-timed a pass from Charlie Coyle up and over Smith's shoulder at 10:47 for a power-play goal. Perlini scored on Doan's rebound at 2:59 of the third period to make it 2-1. But Hanzal scored a power-play goal at 13:35 to give the Wild a 3-1 lead.
* In his 10th NHL season, Hanzal reached the 20-goal mark just under the wire with a power-play goal against his former team in his return to Phoenix. The Coyotes traded Hanzal to the Wild on Feb. 26.
* Smith showed off his athleticism when he made back-to-back saves on Jason Zucker and Hanzal with just over two minutes left.
* The Wild are 11-2-1 in their past 14 games against the Coyotes and have points in 11 straight, the longest point streak against one opponent in their history.
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