Postgame Hat Trick: Flames 2, Wild 1

Wild.com's Phil Ervin gives three takeaways from the Wild's 2-1 loss against the Calgary Flames on Saturday at Xcel Energy Center:

1. After practice Friday, Wild coach Bruce Boudreau said he didn't expect much extracurricular carryover from these teams' last meeting. That lasted a total of 40 seconds.
With the first-period time reading 19:20, Flames left winger Matthew Tkachuk dropped the mitts on Matt Dumba, whose clean hit Dec. 6 at Calgary injured forward Mikael Backlund. That same game, Flames center Mark Giordano kneed Minnesota captain Mikko Koivu, drawing a two-game suspension.
Giordano's shorthanded goal 12 minutes, 3 seconds into Saturday's game only added to the tension.
It boiled over again with 2 minutes to go in the first, as Brown tried to jam in a rebound then promptly began exchanging shoves with defenseman T.J. Brodie. Meanwhile, forward Matt Hendricks and Giordano sparred in the corner, each drawing 5-minute fighting majors.
Even Ryan Suter joined in the fun, engaging in fisticuffs with Calgary's Sam Bennett at 18:27 of the first period. It was Suter's first fight as a member of the Wild, the third of his career, and first in 10 years.
All told, the clubs combined for 13 infractions and 44 penalty minutes, including six fighting majors.
2. After an emotional first two periods in St. Paul, Tkachuk sent a spear through the home crowd's balloon.
At 8:45 of the third period, the Flames left winger sent a wobbly puck on net that charomed in past Wild goaltender Devan Dubnyk. That proved to be the difference on another wise sterling day for Dubnyk, who stopped 24 of 26 shots.
That included a dandy of a pad save on Sean Monahan early in the second.

The Wild had chances to equalize in the third, including a point-blank wrister by Charlie Coyle with 3 1/2 minutes remaining. Tkachuk went off for delay of game with 2:37 to go, but a couple of fantastic stops by Calgary's David Rittich (34 saves) and a staunch penalty kill in front of him kept the score at 2-1.
Minnesota fell 2-1 on the current homestand after a pair of wins over Montreal and Florida earlier in the week. The Wild hosts San Jose at 7 p.m. on Tuesday before a one-game trip to Pittsburgh later next week.
3. Down two forwards, Boudreau took the opportunity to get creative with his line combinations. He may have to do the same with his defensive pairings, too.
With Koivu close to a return but still out, the Wild coach's tough decision on what to do with his forward groupings was delayed at least another game Saturday. But in its place arose the need to move a couple other pieces around the chess board, as first-line winger Jason Zucker missed Saturday's contest with an illness.
The red-hot line of Zach Parise, Charlie Coyle and Nino Niederreiter stuck together. But Boudreau elevated Jordan Greenway to the left of Eric Staal and Mikael Granlund, making room for Marcus Foligno on the third line and placing JT Brown back on the fourth.
Brown missed Friday's practice due to the birth of his second child, Booker Thomas Brown.

Greenway benefited from skating alongside playmakers Staal and Granlund, tying the contest at 1 at the second period's 3:30 mark.

Dumba, however, didn't play the final two periods. As of the final horn, his injury was undisclosed. That left the Wild to cycle through five defensemen.