Wild defeat Predators in overtime for 11th win in row

NASHVILLE -- Jared Spurgeon scored at 2:46 of overtime to give the Minnesota Wild a 3-2 victory against the Nashville Predators at Bridgestone Arena on Tuesday, extending their winning streak to 11 games.
Jordan Schroeder passed the puck across the ice to Spurgeon, and he beat Predators goaltender Pekka Rinne on a one-timer for his third goal.

"I think in the first period we had some good legs, and then in the second we sort of prolonged some shifts, and that's where we got caught," Spurgeon said. "In the third, we just started to get back to getting pucks behind their defense] and playing simple hockey."
**WATCH: [All Wild vs. Predators highlights**
Zach Parise gave the Wild a 1-0 lead at 5:53 of the first period on a redirection in front of the net on the power play. He tipped defenseman Matt Dumba's shot from the point past Rinne for his sixth goal.
"It's a lot of fun," Parise said. "You can tell the excitement after we win in the locker room, the smiles and the way guys are just happy for each other. It's been a fun string of games, and we feel like we can win all the games. We're playing with a lot of confidence."
Parise returned to the lineup after missing two games with an illness.
"It's been an adventurous first half of the season, but it's nice to have a little bit of energy and feel a little bit rested," Parise said. "I felt good."

Predators forward Filip Forsberg tied the game 1-1 at 4:39 of the second period on a wrist shot from the slot. Forward Ryan Johansen passed the puck to Forsberg, who beat Wild goaltender Devan Dubnyk for his sixth goal.
Chris Stewart gave the Wild a 2-1 lead at 6:01 on a wrist shot from the slot. It was his sixth goal.
Predators forward Reid Boucher tied the game 2-2 at 8:55 on a backhand shot on a breakaway. Forward Austin Watson chipped the puck out of the defensive zone and Boucher retrieved it and beat Dubnyk for his first goal of the season.
"It's a good character response," Boucher said. "I don't think we played that well in the first. Huge penalty kill at the end to get that point, and it's kind of disappointing that we didn't get that win."
Wild forward Erik Haula returned to the lineup after missing three games with a lower-body injury.
Predators defenseman P.K. Subban missed a fifth consecutive game with an upper-body injury.
Dubnyk made 28 saves, and Rinne had 36.

Goal of the game

Stewart's goal came on a tic-tac-toe passing play from Schroeder to Eric Staal to Stewart. Schroeder took the puck wide and passed to Staal in the left faceoff circle, and Staal slid it to Stewart in the slot.

Save of the game

Dubnyk made a glove save on Predators forward James Neal at 15:46 of the third period when he redirected defenseman Ryan Ellis' shot from above the right faceoff circle.

Unsung performance of the game

After Dubnyk made a pad save on Predators forward Mike Fisher in the second period to keep the game 1-1, Staal got to the puck to break up the play before Fisher was able to get another attempt on net.

Highlight of the game

Spurgeon's goal came on a 2-on-1 rush that started in the defensive zone on a pass from forward Charlie Coyle. Schroeder drew the attention of two Predators on the rush, and that opened up a passing lane to get the puck to Spurgeon.

They said it

"First of all, I thought he was playing well. With his speed, I thought in the overtime if you give him a chance, he might get a breakaway. As long as he plays within the confines of what we want to do, he's still going to get opportunities to score. I thought there were a couple guys that from the three-day break and no practice looked like they were struggling with their legs, and that's one of the reasons I moved him." -- Wild coach Bruce Boudreau on playing forward Jordan Schroeder in overtime and moving him to the first line

Need to know

Dubnyk has not lost a game in regulation since Nov. 19, when the Colorado Avalanche defeated the Wild 3-2. … Subban was scheduled to meet with doctors Tuesday, according to Predators general manager David Poile.

What's next

Wild: Host the New York Islanders on Thursday (8 p.m. ET; FS-N, FS-WI, MSG+, NHL.TV)
Predators: Host the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday (8 p.m. ET; CSN-CH, FS-TN, NHL.TV)