Lightning strikes twice for Wild in miracle finish in Winnipeg

WINNIPEG --It's the kind of win that can be a season-defining moment and bind a dressing room together. And when you're a team with as many new faces as the Wild, it's the kind of night to expedite that process.
Time will tell if the incredible, improbable 3-2 Wild win at Bell MTS Place on Tuesday night is a jumping off point for something bigger, or just another blip on the radar.
But it sure was a heck of a way to finish off a victory.

"The guys battled. No matter what the score was, we battled the whole game. It's a great job at the end. We didn't quit. We stuck with it," said Wild defenseman Brad Hunt. "I think when you're on a little bit of a run like this, you get the team confidence where you feel no matter what you're going to come out on top. The guys did just a great job."

Until the final couple minutes, it was Hunt's power-play goal in the second that provided the Wild with the entirety of its offense.
Moments after -- 14 seconds to be exact -- Patrik Laine tipped a drive to the net by Ben Chiarot, and Winnipeg was back in front 2-1.
That was the way it was until deep into the third period, when the Wild got one final power play chance with just over three minutes remaining.
With perhaps one final chance looming and seconds remaining on the man advantage, newcomer Ryan Donato whipped a pass from the right circle, found Jason Zucker tapping his stick on the ice in the slot.
Zucker didn't miss, whistling a shot past Connor Hellebuyck to tie the game with 1:27 left.

"We were joking about that. We were talking about the whole game trying to hit that spot because we knew it had been open. What a time to have it translate," Donato said. "He was making sure that I saw him banging his stick real loud and calling for it. That's an NHL player when they know they're open they make sure the other guy knows they're open. He did a great job of finishing it."
But the Wild wasn't satisfied just tying the game late, earning its point and rolling the dice in overtime or the shootout.
Instead, it channeled its newfound momentum and made one final push in the last moments of regulation, doubling down on its luck on Joel Eriksson Ek's workmanlike goal with 61 seconds remaining.
One of the NHL's loudest buildings was stunned silent.

But the winning goal didn't come because of some superstar play or single-handed effort. It came as a result of the Wild playing the full 60 minutes of a 60-minute game.
Even when it was down 2-1, the Wild wasn't playing poorly. It had the advantage in shots for much of the game and was more than keeping pace with a speedy Winnipeg crew.
Minnesota stuck to its recipe that had kept it competitive all night, and finally, the effort paid off.

"I think we clogged up the neutral zone really well and got some offense out of it," Eriksson Ek said. "Just got a puck in their zone and try to do something with it."
"For us it was just about getting in. we felt we were having success behind their defensemen and we wanted to do that," Zucker said. "Ekker just used his big body and had a nice goal for us. hacking away and getting that one in."
Every point is valuable in the ultra-tight playoff race right now, and the Wild won't be in action again until Saturday night in Calgary, when it takes on the best team in the Western Conference.
Minnesota entered the night tied with Colorado for the second and final wild-card position, and the Avs are set to play twice before the Wild hits the ice again.
Instead, Minnesota has just a bit of breathing room, and even moved ahead of the Dallas Stars for the first wild card spot.
Given the circumstances, its one of those moments to remember as the season's stretch run kicks into overdrive.
"I thought we were competing. The big thing for me it was only 1-0 at the end of one. Only 2-1 at the end of two, so we were right there," said Wild coach Bruce Boudreau. "I think if it had been a three or four goal swing, we wouldn't have had any of this. We just stayed the course and got a lucky break with the power play and good things happen."
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