Boldy delivers in clutch for Wild by scoring OT winner in Game 4

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Matt Boldy scored overtime goals in the Stanley Cup Playoffs all throughout his childhood in Massachusetts.

None of them looked like the real one he scored Saturday.

"I was probably going backhand toe drag through the legs in the driveway," Boldy said. "But there are no pictures on the scoresheet."

Boldy's first official NHL postseason overtime goal was instead of a netfront deflection of Jared Spurgeon's shot from the right point at 19:31. And unlike all those driveway goals and celebrations, this one counted for real, giving the Minnesota Wild a 3-2 win against the Dallas Stars in Game 4 of the Western Conference First Round at Grand Casino Arena.

Boldy's goal, which tied the best-of-7 series 2-2 going into Game 5 at American Airlines Center on Tuesday, set off a wild celebration that included most of the 19,274 fans staying standing at their seats and chanting his name through his on-ice postgame interview.

"Yeah, it's pretty cool," Boldy said. "It's pretty cool to look around and take it in a bit."

The Wild's fourth line came through with the game-tying goal with 5:20 remaining, Marcus Foligno getting it in typical greasy fashion by knocking the rebound away from Jake Oettinger and backhanding it into the net as he was falling over the Stars goalie.

But while it was maybe unexpected to get such a big goal from the fourth line, no one should be surprised that it was Boldy delivering what to date is the biggest goal of the Wild's season.

This is the same player who scored Team USA's first goal in the gold-medal game at the Winter Olympics, a 2-1 win against Team Canada. 

He set up Quinn Hughes for his overtime goal in USA's 2-1 win against Team Sweden in the quarterfinals. 

He scored a game-winning goal at the 4 Nations Face-Off.  

Boldy scored 42 goals in the regular season. He scored twice in Minnesota's 6-1 win in Game 1.

"You see him play in big moments," Wild coach John Hynes said. "I think that's a personality trait. He can play when the heat gets turned up. I think that's what makes him special. But on the other side of it he earns it the way that he plays, the way that he competes, the way that he continues to grow. He is a guy that has the 'it factor.' … I've seen him time and time again continue to play and come through in clutch situations."

He did it this time after taking a beating in the corner, Tyler Myers cross-checking him in the back as the Wild were forechecking. But as the puck got loose and Myers turned his focus to Joel Eriksson Ek, Boldy slipped underneath, in front of the net, put out his stick to the far side and got a piece of Spurgeon's shot, which was really a pass.

"I saw him beat his guy out of the corner," Spurgeon said. "And a rangy guy like that, he usually tips pucks in practice all the time, so just give him a chance."

It was technically the second time Boldy put the puck in the net in overtime. The first time, with 5:24 remaining, would have been good if he were a placekicker, or a soccer player, because it he booted it right in and the referee immediately waved it off.

Boldy raised his arms when he saw it go in, but he knew it wasn't going to count, so there was no emotional swing that he had to overcome to score the goal that counted.

"Obviously, not how I would want to play it but just kind of how it naturally happened," he said.

He had another chance just before that, but Oettinger came across to the right post with his legs split and stopped Boldy from winning the game with 5:48 remaining in overtime.

Boldy had four shots on goal and 10 shot attempts. He was getting hit and dishing some out too.

Go back to Game 3, which the Wild lost 4-3 in double overtime, there was the uncalled cross-check to the back of his head from Jamie Benn with 8:25 remaining in the first period that sent him down the tunnel and into the Wild's dressing room for the rest of the period.

But Boldy just kept going, kept playing, as he did Saturday until he made everyone stop playing with his overtime goal.

"That's a part of it," Boldy said. "Getting frustrated and complaining and whining and stuff like that does no good. Another thing I think I've learned through these last two years at 4 Nations and Olympics, these Jack Eichels, these Auston Matthews, these guys that dominate our league and are so effective, they're stone cold. Nothing gets to them. Frustration is all what you make it, I think that's the biggest thing. The more you can stay calm and let your game speak and do what's best for the team then good things happen."

It may not look like how he used to score it in the driveway years ago, but as Boldy said, all that matters is what the scoresheet says.

The backhand toe drags are sweet and all, but Boldy did it for real the way you have to do it in the playoffs, by going to the net.

" 'Bolds' plays a big-man game and that's what his whole career is going to be about," Foligno said. "There's nothing better than doing it in high stakes moments."