Postgame Hat Trick: Wild 3, Flames 2 (OT)

Wild.com's Dan Myers gives three takeaways from the Wild's 3-2 overtime win against the Calgary Flames at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul on Thursday night:

1. Freddy Hockey
In a battle of Gaudreau v. Gaudreau, it was Minnesota's Freddy that came out on top of Calgary's Johnny in this one.
The former Boston College Eagle is having an unreal season for the Flames, as his second-period goal that gave the Flames a 1-0 lead was his 40th of the season and his 114th point.
Freddy hasn't put up those kinds of numbers, but what he's provided the Wild this season has been absolutely invaluable. And on this night, he tallied a pair of points, including the primary assist on the game-tying goal in the second period and a short-side snipe on a late tally that provided Minnesota with its first lead of the game with eight minutes left in regulation.

Gaudreau now has 10 multi-point games this season. He had two in his entire career prior to this year, but he said he's always been confident he had this level of play in him if provided an opportunity to prove it.
He's gotten that in Minnesota and he's run with it.

"I always had that belief. I always felt that. It was just a matter of figuring out where in my mind," Gaudreau said. "I had the belief before signing here that because I played for [Wild coach Dean Evason] and that he knew what I can do on both sides of the puck that he would give me a good opportunity and that's what he did. I couldn't be more happy to get that opportunity."
On the year, Gaudreau has found a home, first with Kevin Fiala, then between Fiala and Matt Boldy, a trio that has been left virtually untouched since the beginning of January.
The results have been transformative for Gaudreau's career ... to the tune of 14 goals (his previous career best for a single season was three) and 30 assists (old best was eight).

"It's been super fun. I think I mention that every single time people ask me that, but since day one I got here I felt like I was with my family. The guys made me feel like home. The staff, the players, it's such an organization filled with only good people. So it's fun to show up to the rink every day," Gaudreau said. "Everybody works hard, but also everybody never forgets to just have fun out there. It's just everybody's pushing the same direction. And it's fun to be a part of."
Gaudreau's biggest fan has been Evason, who coached him once upon a time with the Milwaukee Admirals. That confidence has been rewarded again and again.
"What a tremendous person and does everything for the team," Evason said. "When somebody does get rewarded and score a goal, which he can, you don't see the stats of what he does in every area of the hockey game. I know you guys do and most importantly his teammates know that as well.
"Plays penalty kill, power play, everybody has to trust him. So he's deserving of it because of how he plays the game."
2. Staking his claim
When Game 1 begins next week against the Blues, the hope is that the Wild will be at 100 percent from a health standpoint.
Marcus Foligno and Jordan Greenway returned Tuesday night against Arizona. Matt Dumba and Jared Spurgeon are expected back versus Colorado, per Evason after the game. And the hope is that Mats Zuccarello will be back next week as well.
About the only question left to be decided is who will be between the posts for Game 1 of the series. Will it be Marc-Andre Fleury or Cam Talbot?
Fleury has seen a bulk of the play of late, starting each of the past three games entering play on Thursday night, but Talbot has been the better of the two more recently, bumping his personal point streak to 16 consecutive starts.
Since March 3, Talbot is now 13-0-3 after stopping 31 Calgary shots for his 32nd victory of the campaign.

"Just sound, right? He's just who he is. Just calm. We've talked so much about his demeanor. He's just smothering pucks and making saves and we thought as well the D and PK in particular he'd seen a lot of those pucks," Evason said. "But the [defense] did a good job 5-on-5 as well, boxing out and letting him do what he does best [which] was smothering those pucks."
Before winning in Philly on March 3, Talbot had lost his previous four starts and had allowed 17 goals in those games, stopping just 86 percent of shots faced during that stretch.
Then he allowed four goals in the first two periods against the Flyers before he had an epiphany.
"Just sick of getting scored on," Talbot said. "Pucks seemed to be going through me and around me. I just told myself after that second period there in Philly, 'You know what? If I'm gonna get beat, I'm gonna be as aggressive as possible. Try to get back to playing my game: make them make a good shot, make them push me back, get back to being a little bit more assertive.'
"When things aren't going your way you tend to back off, be a little bit more passive. That's not how I play when I'm at my best and it was just kind of a mental… I don't know… mental click here, whatever in [that] second period. If I'm gonna get beat, I'm gonna get beat playing the right way, a little bit more aggressive. I had a good third period, we came back and won it, and just trying to build every game after that.

Indeed, Minnesota rallied for a pair of quick goals in the final 20 of that game and won 5-4.
He hasn't lost in regulation since. Now, the question is whether he's done enough to stake his claim to start the postseason as the starting goaltender.
Evason wouldn't tip his hand.
"Sure, we like them both," Evason said. "Marc-Andre's playing tomorrow, so we still have a decision to make."
3. Status check
Thursday's win against the Flames marked the true "game-in-hand" with the Blues on the Wild schedule. St. Louis was idle, having played one more game this season entering the day.
Both teams will conclude the regular season on Friday, with the Blues hosting the Vegas Golden Knights and the Wild hosting the Avs.
St. Louis would win any tiebreaker with Minnesota based on their number of regulation wins, so nabbing two points was crucial for the Wild.
Now, any number of points versus the Avalanche (or Blues' lost points versus the Knights) would secure home ice in the series for Minnesota.

That's why Kirill Kaprizov's overtime power-play goal ended up being so large in the grand scheme. Of the now 46 goals he's tallied this season, his winner might have been the most consequential.
"They're a good team over there. Last game [against Arizona] we were not happy with that game and I think we came out today and showed that we were better than that, better than that last game," said Wild defenseman Jonas Brodin. "I think it felt like a playoff game. [Calgary] is pretty similar to St. Louis, like how they lineup from goalie to forwards. It was a good game."
A good result and a good tuneup for the postseason? Call it a double victory.
"We talked before the game this team looks a lot like the team we're going to play in the playoffs. They've got a lot of skill. They play right. They play hard. They're gritty. So, it was a nice test to see how we played," Evason said. "Obviously it's great to have this success because clearly we've got another one tomorrow and we've got an opportunity now to get to home ice obviously. But it's nice to reinforce a lot of things that are playoff-type hockey."

Loose pucks

• Minnesota has scored three-plus goals in 21 of its past 23 contests
• The Wild improved to 18-2-3 since March 16, leading the NHL in wins and points (39) during that span
• Minnesota won its 30th game of the season on home ice, bumping its record at Xcel Energy Center to 30-7-2 on the year
• Kaprizov extended his point streak to six games with his overtime winner
• Brodin's goal was his 30th point of the season and 199th of his career
• Johnny Gaudreau had a goal and an assist
• Elias Lindholm had a goal
• Nikita Zadorov had two assists for Calgary
• Markstrom finished with 22 saves

Dan's three stars

1. Freddy Gaudreau
   2. Kirill Kaprizov
   3. Cam Talbot

Highlights