The Minnesota Wild picked up their third straight overtime victory as a strong performance from Cam Talbot and a game-winning goal from Kevin Fiala fueled a 3-2 victory over the Colorado Avalanche.
Sunday’s game had the feel of a playoff matchup. The Avalanche controlled the puck for the majority of the evening but Talbot put forth the kind of performance that could steal a game in the playoffs.
The Wild netminder came up big, stopping 40 of Colorado’s 42 shots to keep Minnesota in the game. Despite being outshot 28-14 over the first two periods, Minnesota was able to score first when Kirill Kaprizov netted a power play marker at 18:07 in the second period.
KIRILL'S SECOND POWER PLAY GOAL IN AS MANY GAMES! #mnwild pic.twitter.com/nzfEQJqv9N
— Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) March 27, 2022
Kaprizov’s 36th goal of the season and third in the past two games gave Minnesota the lead heading into the third period. The intensity rose when Matt Dumba and Nathan MacKinnon got into a fight early in the final frame, sending the Avalanche captain to the penalty box for five minutes.
Even without their superstar on the ice, Colorado found a way to fight its way back. Nazem Kadri scored his 26th goal of the year to tie the game and Mikko Rantanen scored two seconds into a power play to give the Avalanche their first lead of the night.
But the Wild proved once again that they can never be counted out. After Ryan Hartman banged in his 27th goal of the season to tie the game, Minnesota went on the power play when Eric Johnson was called for cross-checking with 25.2 seconds left in regulation.
The power play extended into overtime and with the 4-on-3 advantage, Fiala blasted the game-winner to help Minnesota improve to 7-0 in overtime this season.
FIALA FIFTEEN SECONDS INTO OT#mnwild pic.twitter.com/dn1wmsv43A
— Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) March 28, 2022
It was a huge win for the Wild, who extended their lead to four points over the Nashville Predators for second place in the Central Division. With a 6-1 record on their nine-game homestand so far, the Wild will look to keep winning when they host the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday night.
