Sutter, Canucks top Wild in overtime

ST. PAUL, Minn. - Brandon Sutter scored 2:50 into overtime to lift the Vancouver Canucks to a 3-2 win against the Minnesota Wild at Xcel Energy Center on Sunday.
Sutter, who missed 21 games with a groin injury and last played Nov. 24, scored his third of the season to give Vancouver its second straight win for the first time since Dec. 2-5.

"The lungs were going pretty hard tonight, but I think we played a pretty good road game," Sutter said. "To get that late goal by Thomas Vanek] to tie the game is huge, and obviously anything can happen in overtime, so we were lucky to get it, but we played really well."
[WATCH: [All Canucks vs. Wild highlights]
Loui Eriksson and Vanek scored, and Jacob Markstrom made 21 saves for Vancouver (18-21-6), which won for the fourth time in 17 games (4-11-2).
Jason Zucker and Daniel Winnik scored for the Wild (24-17-5), who have a point in seven straight home games (5-0-2). Devan Dubnyk made 22 saves and allowed more than two goals for the first time since giving up six in a 7-2 loss at the Colorado Avalanche on Jan. 6.
"That would have been a big win for us obviously," Zucker said. "It was kind of an up-and-down game. We carried the pace, and then they'd kind of take it. Back and forth a bit."
Vanek tipped in a Sam Gagner shot with 3:12 remaining in the third period to tie the game at 2-2.
"My kids are here, so it was great," Vanek, who went to the University of Minnesota from 2002-03 and played with the Wild from 2015-16 said. "It was a big goal this late in the game for our team. I just felt great that we tied it up. I thought for the most part both teams played a good game, and there wasn't too many chances against. It was a big goal for us and obviously to get that extra point in overtime was huge for us right now."

Winnik gave the Wild a 2-1 lead at 12:14 of the third, finding space in the slot.
"When we had the 2-1 lead, I mean we had a couple empty nets and a partial breakaway," Wild coach Bruce Boudreau said. "That's the time you've got to get the killer instinct, bear down and get that third one and tell them, 'Alright, it's time to go home.' But we let them hang around and they had one good shift in our zone and they put it in."
Zucker scored for a second straight game after being held scoreless for seven. Mikael Granlund passed down low to Mikko Koivu who centered the puck for Zucker's power-play goal at 4:59 of the first period.
Eriksson tied the game at 16:57 of the first period with a one-timer off a feed from Alexander Edler, who also assisted on Sutter's game winning goal.
Minnesota and Vancouver each have five days off until their next games.
"Everything you do is easier when you win," Markstrom said. "Having a little vacation for a couple days [with a five-day break] is going to make it a lot easier too, for sure."

Goal of the game

Sutter's goal at 2:50 into overtime

Save of the game

Markstrom's save on Jared Spurgeon at 3:54 of overtime

Highlight of the game

Zucker's goal at 4:59 of the first period.

They said it

"That was good. Nevermind the goal, he played a really good game tonight for being out that long. He was strong on the puck and, obviously having him for face-offs in both end of the rink was big." -- Canucks coach Travis Green on Sutter's return
"It was pretty evident that it wasn't the kind of game it was last night [a 4-1 win against the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday]. I think both teams were tired, quite frankly. I don't know how their team was emotionally, but I think our team was emotionally drained a little bit…But at the same time, when you have the lead with seven-and-a-half minutes to go in the game and you lose it, it's tough to swallow." -- Wild coach Bruce Boudreau

Need to know

Canucks forward Daniel Sedin was scratched with back spasms, ending his streak of consecutive games played at 300. Sedin could return against the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday. ... Sutter played 17:47 and won 9-of-20 face-offs. ... Canucks center Bo Horvat (broken ankle) has been skating and is expected to resume skating on his own during the week. … Wild forward Nino Niederreiter (lower body) is expected to practice on Friday but is unlikely to rejoin the team against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday. ... Koivu has four assists in a four-game point streak and seven points (one goal, six assists) in his past six games.

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What's next

Wild: Host the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday (9 p.m. ET; SUN, FS-N, NHL.TV)
Canucks:At the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday (10 p.m. ET; CBC, SN, NHL.TV)