Johansson gets 2 late in 3rd, Wild top Blackhawks to keep pace in Central

CHICAGO --Marcus Johansson scored two goals late in the third period, and the Minnesota Wild rallied to keep pace in the Central Division with a 4-2 win against the Chicago Blackhawks at United Center on Monday.

The Wild remained two points behind the Dallas Stars and the Colorado Avalanche, who are tied for first in the Central Division. The Stars defeated the Detroit Red Wings 6-1 on Monday.
Minnesota and Dallas each have two games remaining; Colorado has three.
Johansson, who also had an assist, tied it 2-2 at 14:00 in the third period, scoring blocker side from the right face-off circle while short-handed. He then gave the Wild a 3-2 lead from the bottom of the right circle off a give-and-go with Matt Boldy at 16:47.

Gustav Nyquist scored an empty-net goal at 18:59 for the 4-2 final.
"I think we raised the intensity, we raised our speed -- I think everything," Johansson said. "It was not a good first two periods from us. It was very sloppy, and they were better than us. We talked about it and came out better [in the third]. It wasn't pretty, but we got it done. Not good enough this time of year."
Boldy also had a goal, and Filip Gustavsson made 40 saves for Minnesota (46-24-10), which has won its two past games.
"We came out with a little more desperation, a little more jump in the third period," Wild coach Dean Evason said. "Obviously, we didn't like the entire 60 minutes, but the third period was real good."
Anders Bjork scored his first of the season, and Alex Stalock made 18 saves for Chicago (25-49-6), which has lost three in a row and 11 of 12.
"We were clicking well, made a few adjustments after the first period," Blackhawks coach Luke Richardson said. "The guys went out and made those adjustments and followed the game plan in the second [period]. Even the start of the third, I don't know if the first shift of the third was great, but after that we were OK.
"But just one or two subtle things at their blue line, then the other team feels they're gaining momentum by playing better, even though we provided that for them."
Boldy gave Minnesota a 1-0 lead at 12:32 of the first period when he tucked in his own rebound around the left post.

Joey Anderson tied it 1-1 at 18:11. Boris Katchouk circled the net and passed to Anderson, who after his initial shot was stopped, swept in the loose puck in the crease.
Bjork gave Chicago a 2-1 lead at 2:23 of the second, scoring from the left circle on a rebound. It was his first goal since April 17, 2022, as a member of the Buffalo Sabres (15 games).
"That's nice," Bjork said. "It's a weight off my shoulders for sure. It wasn't the prettiest, but I'm glad one went in, and hopefully the last two games here I can show some offensive ability and contribute offensively."
The Blackhawks thought they had taken a 3-1 lead at 7:44 when Jonathan Toews scored on a delayed penalty. However, the officials ruled the Wild had taken possession when Jon Merrill played the puck in front of his net before Toews scored.
"Yeah, I think that's what their explanation was," Richardson said. "Guy's falling down, and the stick touches it as he's falling, so I don't consider that possession, but they called it possession. Obviously, that would've been huge for us to be up 3-1, in control then. But we still have to keep playing and keep playing the right way."
Minnesota defenseman Brock Faber had one shot on goal, six blocked shots and was plus-1 in 21:49 of ice time in his NHL debut. The native of Maple Grove, Minnesota, who signed a three-year, entry-level contract Sunday, played for the University of Minnesota in the NCAA championship game Saturday.
"Still kind of trying to take it all in," Faber said. "It was such a cool night and topped it off with a win, which was huge. Yeah, super fun."
NOTES: Minnesota forwards Kirill Kaprizov and Mats Zuccarello, and defensemen Jared Spurgeon and Jonas Brodin did not make the trip to Chicago. Evason said each was "banged up" but could have played. Forwards Nic Petan and Marco Rossi each played after being recalled from Iowa of the American Hockey League on Sunday. ... Chicago forward Buddy Robinson had one assist in 13:14 after being recalled from Rockford of the American Hockey League earlier Monday. … Gustavsson is 5-0-1 in his past six starts.