Wild empty the tank in 6-3 win over Islanders
By Dane Mizutani , Pioneer Press – February 8, 2025
It looked like things were about to spiral out of control on Saturday night at Xcel Energy Center.
Though the Wild had cut into the deficit thanks to a fortuitous bounce on the power play, a marathon shift immediately followed, which was highlighted by winger Marcus Johansson being trapped on the ice for a whopping 3 minutes, 18 seconds.
If the Wild surrendered a goal at any point during that stretch, it might’ve been enough to make them start looking ahead at the lengthy break coming up. Instead, they dug in and emptied the tank, fighting off a pair of icings before finally managing a line change.
“The guys survived and we got out of it,” captain Jared Spurgeon said. “We went to work from there on.”
Indeed. Not long after the marathon shift ended, winger Matt Boldy tied the score with a redirection in front, and less than a minute later, center Yakov Trenin gave the Wild a lead they wouldn’t relinquish in a gritty 6-3 win over the New York Islanders.
The victory ensured the Wild won’t have to stew on a loss for the next couple of weeks during the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament. The next game on the schedule for the Wild isn’t until Feb. 22 against the Detroit Red Wings.
“We wanted to go into break on a high note and obviously we did,” Boldy said. “That’s what matters to me.”
It was a fast start by the Wild against the Islanders as center Marco Rossi scored few minutes into the first period to make it 1-0. That lead lasted exactly 13 seconds, however, before Islanders winger Kyle Palmieri responded to level the score at 1-1.
The momentum started to shift 28 seconds into the second period when Islanders winger Brock Nelson, a Warroad, Minn. native, made it 2-1. The lead grew to 3-1 later in the second period when Islanders captain Anders Lee, who hails from Edina, made the Wild pay for a costly turnover in the defensive zone.
“We stayed mentally strong,” Trenin said. “We didn’t get down.”
They also changed the way they were playing.
“You guys noticed that it wasn’t very good and we were in the same boat,” Boldy said. “We knew that wasn’t good enough and that wasn’t going to win us the game.”
Though the Wild could’ve given up at that point, the comeback started with center Freddy Gaudreau cutting the deficit to 3-2 with a shot that bounced in off of Islanders defenseman Tony DeAngelo.
After the Wild overcame the marathon shift in the immediate aftermath of Gaudreau’s goal, Boldy tied the scored at 3-3, then Trenin made it 4-3. The trio of goals from the Wild that flipped the game on its head spanned 5 minutes, 29 seconds.
“We just played the way we really needed to play,” head coach John Hynes said. “I thought we got more emotionally engaged in the game.”
To leave no doubt, Boldy scored a goal early in the third period, making it 5-3 in favor of the Wild. After an impressive play to keep the puck in the offensive zone, Boldy muscled a puck on net, and DeAngelo once again helped guide past the goal line.
In the final minutes of the game, winger Marcus Foligno scored an empty netter that finalized the score at 6-3, and sent the Wild into the lengthy break feeling good about themselves. They are well above the cut line for the playoffs, and when they reconvene after the 4 Nations Face-Off, they have a chance to solidify their spot.
“We’ve earned the position that we’re in and now we get a little bit of a break,” Hynes said. “The timing is good and then we want to come back and reset and get right to it again for those final 27 games and play our best down the stretch.”
PHOTO: Minnesota Wild center Marco Rossi looks on after scoring a goal against the New York Islanders during the first period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, Feb. 8, 2025, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Bailey Hillesheim)