The Minnesota Wild defeated the Carolina Hurricanes 3-2 in a shootout Saturday afternoon. Zach Parise and Charlie Coyle netted goals in the shootout to put the team one point behind the Colorado Avalanche for the second wild-card spot.
“Going into a shootout right now, getting one point is not good enough for us. A lot of emotions there,” Dubnyk told the Star Tribune.
It was the Wild’s third home victory in 14 games and only it’s third victory in 11 overtime games this season. Minnesota is currently 10-6-1 under interim coach John Torchetti.
“When you see Colorado pick up two points [in Calgary on Friday], it’s getting to that point of the year where it’s really crunch time, and guys are trying to pay for it with that every inch,” said David Jones.
The Wild struck first with a Jones goal at 15:37 in the second period, but Jason Terry’s tally less than two minutes later tied it at 1-1 going into the third. Jason Zucker scored 16 seconds into the third, and Jordan Staal’s goal at 13:09 sent the game into overtime.
Minnesota was outshot 5-1 in overtime, but Dubnyk kept the team alive and made a game-saving save on Elias Lindholm on a last-second breakaway.
“I didn’t realize the clock was that low,” Dubnyk told the Star Tribune. “Mikko did a real nice job coming over at him. He makes a nice move, but Mikko put some good pressure on him.”
“Every play’s a big play, and everyone knows it,” Torchetti told the Pioneer Press. “It’s good for our team to play those games now, down the stretch, and we’ve got to carry that game into Chicago.”
[Star Tribune, Pioneer Press]
