Recap: Ducks Can't Hold Late Lead, Fall 3-2 in OT to Wild

Sam Colangelo and Alex Killorn scored, but Matt Boldy's overtime winner clinched a 3-2 victory for the Minnesota Wild tonight at XCel Energy Center.

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The loss dropped Anaheim to 35-37-9 on the season.

Colangelo and Killorn's goals helped the Ducks to a third-period lead, but for the second straight game Anaheim would be unable to close the door late. Trevor Zegras and Mason McTavish tallied assists while Lukas Dostal made 37 saves in 54th appearance of the year.

Boldy captured the second standings point for the Wild in the extra session, but it was Joel Eriksson Ek's goal with 20 seconds left in regulation that stole the show as it sealed Minnesota's playoff berth. Marc-Andre Fleury and Jonas Gustavsson combined for stops on 27-of-29 Anaheim shots.

The Wild will face the Vegas Golden Knights in the first round of the postseason.

Minnesota struck for the night's first lead just before the midway mark of the opening frame with veteran winger Marcus Johansson sneaking behind the Anaheim defense amidst a bad line change and beating Dostal with a snapshot under the glove.

Johansson tallied 34 points in 72 games this season, including seven points in his last seven appearances. The 15-year veteran, now just 17 games shy of 1,000 for his NHL career, finished sixth among team leaders in scoring and assists.

Anaheim answered back just four minutes later though on a sharp play by Killorn in the Minnesota slot. With the Ducks attacking the zone off the rush and Cutter Gauthier set for a point shot, Killorn drove right to the net, finding himself in the perfect spot to chop home a bouncing puck initially blocked by defenseman Jacob Middleton.

Killorn has earned points in four straight games and now owns 37 points in 81 games this season, surpassing his offensive output from his initial campaign as a Duck (36 points in 2023-24). He also leads Anaheim with a +14 rating.

That 1-1 tie lasted all the way until the third period, when the Ducks went ahead on a well-executed odd-man rush. After a Minnesota turnover at the blue line, McTavish raced ahead with Colangelo on a 2-on-1, eventually sliding a short pass to his linemate for a move to the backhand past Gustavsson.

Colangelo, now with goals in consecutive games and nine in his last 17 contests, ranks second among all qualified NHL rookies in goals per game this season - trailing only San Jose's Macklin Celebrini.

McTavish's assist was his 30th of the season, marking his first time reaching that milestone in the NHL. The 22-year-old, Anaheim's top goal scorer this year and its second-leading point producer, has collected seven points in his last eight games. He owns career-high totals in points, goals, assists and plus/minus this season.

But fighting for their playoff lives, the Wild would not be denied the crucial standings point before the end of the night - as Eriksson Ek shoveled home a backdoor pass from Boldy in the final minute of regulation, forcing OT and clinching Minnesota's playoff berth.

With the playoff berth assured, Minnesota put Fleury in net for overtime. Expected to retire at the end of the season, the three-time Stanley Cup champion is second in NHL history in career wins. He complied a 24-5-0 career record against Anaheim with a 1.82 goals against average, his best mark against any NHL opponent.

Boldy then won it for Minnesota with just 18 seconds left in overtime, lifting a wrister over Dostal's blocker off a centering pass from Johansson.

The Ducks conclude the 2024-25 regular season Wednesday at Winnipeg.