Wanna blog? Start your own hockey blog with My HockeyBuzz. Register for free today!
 

Wow That Game Had Everything!

October 20, 2021, 10:08 AM ET [11 Comments]
Dan Wallace
Minnesota Wild Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
We knew it was going to be an energy packed game last night between the Wild and Jets but what we got no one could have predicted.

The first saw the Jets open the scoring with Kyle Connor scoring his second of the season before the game was five minutes old. Mats Zuccarello tied it for the Wild just 53 seconds later.

Connor gave the Jeys their second one goal lead just three and a half minutes later. The tensions were high and the pmay was back and forth with scoring chances hits and bad blood brewing.

Joel Eriksson Ek scored his first of the season on the powerplay with 1:20 left in the first to knot the game at 2. Following the Eriksson Ek goal Marcus Foligno and Brendan Dillon dropped the gloves and tussle in an epic fight that featured a flying Superman punch by Foligno. That sparked the Wild faithful who filled the building for the first time since the beginning of the pandemic.

After the team's traded goals in the second it set up the final 20 minutes to decide the first border battle of the season.

The Wild came out flying in the third period but could not solve Connor Hellebuyck. Pierre-Luc Dubois and Andrew Copp scored for the Jets separated by 2:18 giving the Jeys a strangle hold on the game.

Minnesota continued to press and it was a result of the Wild attack that ultimately drew a Neil Pionk slashing minor. The top Wild powerplay unit started the man advantage shift and could not get anything to go in but the second unit (whom I said yesterday may be a source of concern), got the game to within one when Marcus Foligno jammed home his second of the season with five minutes left.

Dean Evason pulled Cam Talbot with 2:47 left and the Wild brought everything they had but a turnover by Alex Goligoski gave the Jeys a breakout and what appeared to be the dagger when Mark Scheifele fired a shot into the empty Wild cage.

Jonas Plumb and TJ Jinda, the Wild video coaches, became the heroes as they spotted Kyle Connor offside on the zone entry and Evason challenged the goal and it overturned.

That set the stage for Joel Eriksson Ek on a hard fought redirect of the puck that carommed off of Zuccarello's leg, to send the game to extra time.

In the overtime the Wild drew a penalty as Josh Morrissey was called for holding Kirill Kaprizov.. they quite honestly could have had another penalty called as on the delayed penalty Kaprizov was tripped and slid very awkwardly into the boards behind the Jets goal. Fortunately he was able to stay in the game.

Following a Wild turnover in the offensive zone, the Jets broke out two on one shorthanded looking for the game winner. Cam Talbot made the key save of the game and it sprung the Wild transition to a three on one that ended with Joel Eriksson Ek redirecting the tic tac toe Kaprizov to Fiala to Kaprizov to JEE game winner.

Character win when Talbot was not as sharp as we have grown accustomed to seeing and another late game comeback. It is October but 6 points in the standings is a tremendous start to the season for sure.
Join the Discussion: » 11 Comments » Post New Comment
More from Dan Wallace
» Walker Up, Goligoski On LTIR
» Wild Look To Tighten Up The D Zone
» New Season Of Hope For Wild
» Kirill Gets The "A"
» Zuccarello Extended For 2 Years