It took eight rounds of a shootout before Minnesota Wild fell to the San Jose Sharks in California on Monday night.
Minnesota got a goal and assist from line mates Kevin Fiala and Marcus Johansson, and another goal from Nick Bonino on a pretty setup by Joel Eriksson Ek, but it was only enough to force overtime before the Sharks won in the lengthy shootout.
BONINOOO!! #mnwild waste 𝙣𝙤 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚 reclaiming the lead. @mnwild // @NickBonino pic.twitter.com/EIlG7DCd7G
— FanDuel Sports Network North (@FanDuelSN_NOR) March 30, 2021
𝐅𝐈𝐀𝐋𝐀, 𝐇𝐔𝐆𝐄!!#mnwild // @mnwild pic.twitter.com/tXJeyNgEw4
— FanDuel Sports Network North (@FanDuelSN_NOR) March 30, 2021
It was the first shootout of the season for the Wild, whose three-game win streak was snapped. They did however extend their points streak to four games.
As things stand entering play Tuesday, Minnesota is third in the West Division with 44 points (21-10-2). They’re four points behind Colorado (22-8-4) and five points behind Vegas (24-8-1).
The shootout was clinched in the eighth round by Sharks defenseman Erik Karlsson, who beat Wild goalie Cam Talbot with a slap shot up high. Karlsson scored two of the Sharks’ three goals in regulation.
Overall, coach Dean Evason wants to see the Wild play more aggressively in the offensive end when they face the Sharks again Wednesday night.
“We passed up a lot of opportunities to shoot the puck,” Evason said. “… So that’s our main concern here tonight. But we thought we competed well.”
