Kevin Fiala’s breakaway goal on an empty net sealed the deal for the Wild Friday night as they defeated former goaltender Devan Dubnyk and the San Jose Sharks 4-1 in the home opener at Xcel Energy Center.
Fiala’s tally came just seconds after Dubnyk went to the bench to give the Sharks an extra attacker in the final minutes of the third period. Jordan Greenway added another empty-netter with 26 seconds left in regulation.
Before that, Dubnyk had stopped 25 of 27 shots in his first game against the Wild since being traded to the Sharks last October.
Cam Talbot started in goal for the Wild, stopping 11 of 12 shots before leaving the game with an apparent injury. He was replaced by Kaapo Kahonen, who stopped all 17 shots he faced in the second and third periods.
Joel Eriksson Ek and Zach Parise scored the first two goals for the Wild, with Parise’s proving to be the go-ahead goal.
The Wild are now 4-1 to start the season with another game against the Sharks on Sunday at 7 p.m.
