Kulikov scores with 1.3 seconds remaining in OT, Wild defeat Predators

NASHVILLE -- Dmitry Kulikov scored with 1.3 seconds remaining in overtime to give the Minnesota Wild a 5-4 win against the Nashville Predators at Bridgestone Arena on Sunday.

Kulikov scored on a breakaway, putting the puck over David Rittich's right shoulder.
"I don't get many [breakaways], so I've got to make sure when I get them," Kulikov said. "We're a confident group and we know we can score goals and turn games around."

Joel Eriksson Ek had two goals and an assist, Kevin Fiala had a goal and an assist, and Marc-Andre Fleury made 21 saves for Minnesota (51-21-7), which won its fifth in a row and has points in 10 straight (8-0-2).
The Wild remain tied with the St. Louis Blues for second place in the Central Division with one game in hand. The Blues defeated the Anaheim Ducks 6-3 on Sunday.
The Wild played most of the game without defenseman Jared Spurgeon, who left with an upper-body injury at 12:31 of the first period after taking a hit from Filip Forsberg.
"We just stick together," Minnesota coach Dean Evason said. "It doesn't matter who is in our lineup. We have no complainers. We just go about our business. We were down to five [defensemen]. I think our forwards protected the [defensemen], but I think the [defensemen] did a really good job as well, obviously playing out of position, playing more minutes. It's just a real good all-around game."
Forsberg had a goal and two assists, Mikael Granlund had three assists, and Rittich made 42 saves in his first start since April 10 for Nashville (44-29-6), which was coming off a 6-2 loss at the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday.
The Predators are one point ahead of the Dallas Stars for the first wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Western Conference.
"Both teams battled hard," Nashville coach John Hynes said. "There was a lot of emotion, a lot of special teams, a lot of momentum swings. But I thought our guys really battled hard tonight. We earned a point. We'd like to get two points, but we've got to take some things out of it and get ready for [the] Calgary [Flames on Tuesday]."

Nick Bjugstad gave the Wild a 1-0 lead at 11:05 of the first period on a power play. He knocked a loose puck through the crease and Predators defenseman Mark Borowiecki tapped it in while trying to clear it.
Forsberg tied it 1-1 at 19:57 with his 40th goal to become the second player in Nashville history with 40, joining Matt Duchene, who scored his 40th on Tuesday.
Eriksson Ek made it 2-1 at 6:36 of the second period following a goalmouth scrum. The Predators challenged for goaltender interference, but the call stood following video review.
"I think we've shown all year everybody can score, everybody can help any way they are asked to," Eriksson Ek said. "It's good for our team to have that depth."

Duchene tied it 2-2 at 10:40, scoring with a wrist shot at the base of the right circle during a power play.
Ryan Johansen gave Nashville a 3-2 lead at 13:38 on the power play. It was his sixth goal in four games against the Wild this season.
Eriksson Ek's power-play goal tied it 3-3 at 18:27.
Fiala made it 4-3 at 19:37, beating Rittich with a backhand from the slot to extend his point streak to 10 games (23 points; 10 goals, 13 assists).
Dante Fabbro tied it 4-4 at 14:20 of the third period with a shot that deflected off the stick of Wild forward Connor Dewar.
"A lot of credit to our team and the guys in that locker room," Fabbro said. "You look at the character we have and our leadership throughout the lineup. It's unbelievable. Not [for] a second did we doubt we could come back and win the game. We fought to the very end. I'm really proud of this group and we just have to keep chugging along."

NOTES: Evason said Spurgeon will be evaluated Monday, but that he expected him back for the playoffs. … Minnesota forward Matt Boldy had an assist, extending his point streak to nine games (11 points; three goals, eight assists) … Fiala has multiple points in five straight games (15 points: five goals, 10 assists) … Nashville defenseman Roman Josi became the first defenseman since Brian Leetch to have at least 70 assists in a season. Leetch had 70 for the New York Rangers in 1995-96. … Granlund's 48 assists are an NHL career high, surpassing the 46 he had in 2017-18 with the Wild. … Forsberg's 40 assists are an NHL career high, surpassing the 38 he had in 2017-18. … Fiala has 84 points this season to move past Marian Gaborik (83) for the second-most in Wild history behind Kirill Kaprizov (103). … It was the Wild's third 10-game point streak this season (9-0-1, March 16-April 3; 9-0-1, Jan. 6-Feb. 2). … Minnesota forward Joseph Cramarossa had an assist in 6:55 in his season debut after being recalled from Iowa of the American Hockey League on Saturday.