Postgame Hat Trick: Wild 6, Jets 5 (OT)

Wild.com's Dan Myers gives three takeaways from the Wild's 6-5 overtime win against the Winnipeg Jets at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul on Tuesday night:

1. Are you not entertained?
The Team of 18,000 was missed inside Xcel Energy Center last season, but the Wild wasted little time re-engaging with a packed home barn in downtown St. Paul.
In one of the craziest, most entertaining hockey games in recent memory, Minnesota rallied from a goal down on four separate occasions, including a two-goal rally late in the third and another (apparent) two-goal rally that really wasn't.
There's almost too much to unpack in a single postgame column, so apologies ahead of time.

"I mean that was a lot of fun. I think the fans really enjoyed that win tonight and we did too," said Wild forward Marcus Foligno. "I don't know. It just felt like, although being down and not having maybe our best game in the first 10 minutes of the first period, we just felt like it was coming."
The Wild spent exactly zero seconds of this game in the lead, but at the end of the day, it led when it mattered - as the players filtered, streamed, sprinted onto the ice to celebrate.

Joel Eriksson Ek's winning goal 3:30 into overtime capped a furious comeback for Minnesota, which was highlighted by goals by Marcus Foligno and Eriksson Ek in the final five minutes of regulation, just to get the game to the extra session.
Oh, and the Wild had to challenge an apparent empty-net goal for Winnipeg - a challenge it won - just to keep its deficit at one goal and allow Eriksson Ek to be the hero (the first time).
Get all that? And that was just late in the game.
There was chatter before the game whether these Central Division rivals would still have that animosity after not seeing one another for 654 days. That question was answered quickly, as the first period got considerably chippier and nastier as it went on.
By the end of the first, Foligno and Brenden Dillon had dropped the mitts, Foligno was Superman-punching the Jets defensemen and connecting on numerous right crosses and even an upper cut punch that had the 18,156 going nuts.
There was also the four combined goals in the first period as well as a number of scrums and shoving matches that quickly proved these clubs would pick up right where they left off.
Both teams traded goals in what was - by comparison - a rather elementary second period, before the game went completely off the rails in the final 20.

"It was electric today, for sure, from the start," said Wild forward Mats Zuccarello, who had two goals and two assists. "A lot of goals, it was a great game for the fans and for us, probably not for the coaches for both sides, a lot of too many goals against. But I think that's the way a hockey game should be, especially with the fans back. It was unbelievable tonight."
The Jets scored goals 2:18 apart in the first 6 1/2 minutes of the third to take a commanding 5-3 lead until the final five minutes.
Foligno stuffed home a rebound of an Alex Goligoski shot from the slot to make it a one-goal game and give the building a ton of life.
But Mark Scheifele's salvo into the open cage seemingly ended the game, as fans streamed into the aisles and headed for the exits.
Big, big mistake.
Still, the life the crowd brought to the building was not lost on the Wild head coach.

"Absolutely incredible," Evason said. "Like in the third period, we all got goosebumps the way they stood up in unison at one point during a timeout and cheered. It gave us a boost, it gave us a kick at the end to go forward and our guys appreciated it. We appreciated it.
"It's so exciting to have fans back, the whole league, the whole world is excited to have people back in stadiums but our fans were absolutely phenomenal tonight."
2. Take a bow, Jonas and T.J.
One of the underrated aspects of this game was the fact that it appeared over when Scheifele's shot into the empty net was successful.
Few people in the arena knew at the time, but lo and behold, Jets forward Kyle Connor was a few inches over the blueline when the Jets' alternate captain carried the puck into the zone a second or two earlier.
Luckily for the Wild, two of those people were video coaches Jonas Plumb and T.J. Jindra, who were double and triple checking all aspects of the goal.

"We couldn't see him on the far side," Evason said. "Actually management, we were talking about it in the room and they said we never even thought about the guy on the off side and I don't think anybody did."
After a couple of looks, one of the two buzzed assistant coach Brett McLean on the bench to challenge the play, but the referee was about to drop the puck to re-start play after the goal.
McLean's efforts caught the attention of officials, however, the challenge was issued, the play was looked at and the goal was eventually overturned - turning a two-goal Jets lead back into a one-goal Jets lead.
Just 15 seconds later, Eriksson Ek tied the game with a backhand clipper through the wickets of Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck.

"They did a great job seeing that," Eriksson Ek said. "We didn't think about it on the bench. But they caught it and we got a break and we came back. All the credit to them."
Added Evason: "Full credit to them. Jonas and TJ made the call. Neither one of them will take any credit if you talk to them. But it was a great call. They were ready to drop the puck too and when they called down to Mac, Mac was just screaming for the refs to get their attention. So great call."
3. One Ek of a game
How good was Eriksson Ek on Tuesday night? It's entirely possible the effort against the Jets was the best game of his six-year NHL career.
"Does everything, right? And doesn't even blink an eye," Evason said. "That's just what he does, goes about his business."

The three goals were dynamite for sure, and when you take into account the timing of those goals - late in the first to tie the game at 2-2, late in regulation to tie the game at 5-5 and of course, the overtime winner ... even better.
But he was outstanding everywhere else too.

Eriksson Ek finished the game a plus-2. He won 19 of his 25 face-off attempts. He earned 21 1/2 minutes of ice time and was a defensive force, per usual. He had seven shots on goal, which tied a career high.
The guy was absolutely everywhere.
"Yeah, it felt good. I'm just trying to be around the net," Eriksson Ek said. "I always say it, but that's where it usually happens for me. Just trying to create chances by hanging around there and battling those 'D' and just, yeah, being around there."
4. BONUS TAKE: Cam comes up large
In a game as crazy as this one, three takeaways just isn't enough. Heck, a person could write numerous 'Hat Tricks' about this one.
But worthy of at least a nod in this one is goaltender Cam Talbot, who allowed five goals in regulation but came up with a couple of gigantic, game-saving stops in the extra session.
The first came on Connor in the first minute of OT, as Connor gained control of the puck and whistled a shot towards the net from just above the hashes.
But that was only his opening act.
With 100 seconds left in overtime, Talbot flat robbed Logan Stanley of a tap-in goal with his right pad, a stop that sprung a 3-on-1 for the Wild that resulted in Eriksson Ek's winning goal.
When the puck went in, half the team streamed onto the ice to swarm Eriksson Ek, and the other half went right for Talbot.
"We all mauled Talbs and then I saw. I didn't even actually know it was him that scored to be honest. It was a 3-on-1 and it happened so fast. I didn't even know he had a hat trick," Foligno said. "We celebrated in the room pretty good with him."
Added Evason: "That's who he is. Maybe the first one but he got some bad bounces. We got some bounces going our way too. But same thing he's such a pro that doesn't bother him I'm guessing. He doesn't show any kind of emotion except excitement and team first and his willingness to just hang in there.
"Phenomenal saves at the end, phenomenal, yeah he's been a real leader for us."

Loose pucks

• Matt Dumba had nine shots on goal, which tied his own franchise record for most shots on goal by a defenseman in a single game.
• Dumba leads all NHL defensemen in shots on goal with 17.
• Alex Goligoski had two assists for his 76th career multi-point game.
• Zuccarello's four points tied a career high. It was the third time he's accumulated four points in his career and second time in a Wild uniform.
• Kaprizov finished with three assists, which was a career high.
• Talbot finished the game with 25 saves on 30 shots.
• Hellebuyck stopped 38 of 44 shots faced.

Dan's three stars

1. Joel Eriksson Ek
   2. Mats Zuccarello
   3. Kirill Kaprizov

Highlights