Postgame Hat Trick: Wild 3, Canucks 2

Wild.com's Dan Myers gives three takeaways from the Wild's 3-2 win against the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena in Vancouver on Tuesday night:

1. Whoa, Canada
For the first time since its father's trip 20 months ago, the Wild played a game at Rogers Arena.
And like it did on that trip in February of 2020, when Alex Galchenyuk scored the winning goal in the shootout, the Wild took two points from its once-heated Northwest Division rival.
There was no need for late heroics this time, as Minnesota never trailed in the contest. But it did have the feel of a game that could have been contested much later in the campaign. The game Tuesday was Minnesota's sixth of the season, but coach Dean Evason said it felt a lot heavier than that.

"We mentioned after the first period that we thought it was a real intense hockey game, for whatever reason," Evason said. "Obviously it was their home opener, and we didn't have the outing we wanted last game, so I think it set up for a real intense hockey game and that's what it was.
"It was fast, intense. We talked about it feeling like a playoff game. I know it sounds crazy, but it had that intensity level to it."
Minnesota scored the first two goals of the game, getting one in the first and one more early in the second before staving off a Canucks rally that saw Vancouver trim the Wild's 2-1 lead after 40 minutes.
Matt Dumba scored the eventual winner 3:54 into the third period on a gorgeous sauce pass from Rem Pitlick, who was in the Wild lineup for the first time this season.

Bo Horvat would score off the rush with 4:07 remaining to make it interesting, but the Wild was stellar down the stretch and didn't allow much over the final couple minutes to preserve the victory.
For Pitlick, it was a little bit of redemption. He was whistled for a hooking penalty in the second period that did not make Evason very happy (he's been less than thrilled with the number of obstruction penalties the Wild has taken over the first week and change), but he more than made up for it.
Pitlick nearly had a goal too, beating Canucks goaltender Thatcher Demko like a drum after being sprung for a breakaway chance out of the sin bin, but he couldn't quite finish, kissing the post with his prime scoring chance.
"I would never say that extra reps would have a negative side to it, but I think that's what caused it," Pitlick admitted afterward. "I practice that move so many times, it's unconscious. As a kid growing up, I like to practice that move, and it's just so in my body ... it just hit the pipe. How do I miss that, I don't know.
"But it is what it is. We got the 'W.'"

Another big reason for that win was the continued steady play of Cam Talbot between the pipes. He's 5-0-0 for the first time in his NHL career after making 22 saves on 24 shots, including one of his finest yet in a Wild uniform, stonewalling Burnsville native Brock Boeser with an incredible sprawling right-pad save that preserved Minnesota's early lead in the first period.
2. Going to the Mats
Evason preached a strong start to the game on Tuesday night, and thanks to his veteran top-line winger, he got exactly what he was looking for.
After surrendering the first goal of the game in each of the first five contests of the season - something that finally caught up to the Wild in a 5-2 loss in St. Paul on Sunday - Minnesota was playing from in front.

"First time this year. We want to do that more often. It's not the greatest recipe always chasing," Dumba said. "We talked about that before in the locker room, so hopefully we have that all situated."
The goal belonged to Mats Zuccarello, who scored a beauty of a goal on a breakaway through the wickets of Demko, but let's talk about the pass that sprang him first. Joel Eriksson Ek's saucer feed that set Zuccarello free with the puck was a thing of beauty that split a pair of Canucks defenders.
"It was nice [to play with the lead], especially with maybe a little bit of their jump away. The fans were fantastic here tonight, they haven't seen hockey for a long time and their group was energized," Evason said. "For us to get that first one maybe gave us a little bit of an edge."
3. All guts, no glory
Minnesota's second penalty kill of the game went down as an unsuccessful one on the scoresheet, but it certainly wasn't because of a lack of effort.
In fact, you could make an argument that the Wild's second kill of the game was its guttiest of the season ... but it ultimately came up short.
Seconds into the kill, a shot from the point was blocked by Alex Goligoski, which snapped his stick in two. Marcus Foligno surrendered his stick to his teammate, putting the Wild down a player and down a stick.
For the next (almost) two minutes, Goligoski, Foligno, Jared Spurgeon and Nico Sturm were working overtime to clog shooting and passing lanes, block shots, clear bodies ... and for the most part, did a great job.
"You just try and be as smart as you can," Foligno said. "You want to try and maintain your breath and your energy out there because they've got some great guys that can really snap it around. You just try and be smart and not be too aggressive. It was just unfortunate."
At some point, instinct takes over. Foligno made a pair of diving skate saves to block two Canucks passes, looking almost like a goaltender in the process, doing everything he could to prevent a quick and easy pass to an open shooter.
The whole sequence was incredible to watch, simply because it felt like a Vancouver goal was inevitable based on what was happening. But as the power play continued and the Canucks struggled to get much of anything going, it was easy to pull for the penalty killers who gave everything they had on that kill to try and get a single clear.
They came up just short, but it sure was fun to watch them go to work.
"I think me and Sturmy just kind of got stuck in certain situations where I think he should have been more of the seam guy and I should have been on Quinn Hughes," Foligno said. "We got lost a little bit and I got stuck up top, but our work ethic on the PK was extremely good tonight."
That foursome stayed on the ice for the entirety of the power play, one that ended up being converted with five seconds left on it, when a centering pass by Elias Pettersson deflected off Alex Chiasson and into the net.
"Very disappointing, that's what it felt like on the bench," Evason said. "Moose was ... I don't know how many shots and passes he blocked without his stick. If he has his stick, we get three clears. But the bench, it was like, 'no,' because they all did so many great things and then they made a great play.
"But we like that the group didn't sag after that one. It was more like, 'OK, circumstances dictated that they scored that goal, but we did a lot of great things.' I honestly felt we gained momentum after that."
Minnesota has surrendered a power-play goal in every game this season, and although that kill ended up allowing a goal as well, it certainly wasn't for a lack of effort. Overall, the Wild's penalty kill was called upon just three times and had its best showing of the young season.

Loose pucks

• Dumba's goal was his 14th career game winner, which is one behind teammate Jared Spurgeon for most in team history by a defenseman.
• The Wild has had 19 different players register at least one point this season, tied for second most in the NHL and one behind league-leading St. Louis.
• Talbot is the second goaltender in team history to start a season 5-0-0 (Manny Fernandez started with six consecutive wins in 2002-03)
• Brandon Duhaime earned an assist on Dumba's goal and now has a point in three consecutive games.
• Dumba's goal was his 199th career point.
• Brodin's second-period blocked shot gave him 1,000 for his career, second-most behind Spurgeon in team history.
• Demko finished with 27 saves on 30 shots.

Dan's three stars

1. Matt Dumba
   2. Cam Talbot
   3. Jonas Brodin

Highlights