Wild top Stars in shootout after blowing four-goal lead in third period

DALLAS (AP) — Frederick Gaudreau scored Minnesota’s third goal in the third shootout round as the Minnesota Wild won 6-5 on Sunday afternoon after owning a four-goal third-period lead.

Mats Zuccarello and Kirill Kaprizov also scored in the shootout for the Wild, who swept a back-to-back in shootouts to extend their winning streak to four games.

“This one feels good,” said Gaudreau, who’s 2 for 4 in shootout attempts this season. “We kept our calm.”

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Roope Hintz notched his second career hat trick for the Stars, who earned points for the 10th time in their last 11 games. Jason Robertson and Joe Pavelski scored in the shootout for Dallas, but Hintz’s backhander rolled just short of the goal line across the crease.

Hintz’s final goal, with the extra skater on, tied the score 5-5 with 2:11 remaining in regulation.

“They (the Stars) pushed, we gave up the big lead,” Wild coach Dean Evason said. “But did we quit? Did we shut it down? Did we stop playing? No. They just kept going about their business.”

Minnesota used a three-goal burst within 2:50 of the second period to lead 4-1 and increased that to 5-1 29 seconds into the third period after Dallas goaltender Jake Oettinger was replaced by Scott Wedgewood.

Connor Dewar’s short-handed goal began the second-period flurry, followed by Jake Middleton and Jordan Greenway. Kaprizov and Joel Ericksson Ek also scored for the Wild.

Marc-Andre Fleury made 30 saves for the Wild.

Hintz also had an assist. Robertson had his NHL-best 23rd goal and an assist. Mason Marchment also had a goal and an assist for the Stars.

Oettinger, a Minnesota native, allowed four goals on 16 shots. Wedgewood made 14 saves in 20 minutes.

Dewar’s goal at 10:42 of the second period was the Wild’s league leading fifth short-handed goal and the first allowed by Dallas this season.

During a first period marked by three minor penalties called on each team, Kaprizov converted on the Wild’s third opportunity by flicking a wrister short side from the left circle over Oettinger’s right shoulder for a 1-0 Minnesota lead at 15:04.

Eriksson Ek scored 29 seconds into Wedgewood’s time on the ice on a deflection.

The Stars responded with three goals within 2:43 — Hintz’s second at 7:11 of the third, Robertson converting his own rebound at 7:50 and Marchment scoring from short range at 9:55.

Dallas tied the score 1-1 at 6:58 of the second period when Hintz tapped home the rebound after Fleury stopped Robertson’s backhander with his right skate.

“We knew if we got one, we were going to get more,” said Hintz, whose previous hat trick came in November 2021. “It’s good we got one point.”

“You’ve seen this with this group all year; I don’t think we’re ever out of a game,” Dallas coach Pete DeBoer said.

Ryan Reaves and Jared Spurgeon had two assists each for the Wild.

Joe Pavelski had three assists for Dallas.

Kaprizov has a career-best 12-game points streak (eight goals, 11 assists) and a six-game goal streak. The goal streak matches his own franchise record shared with Nino Niederreiter and Brian Rolston.

NOTES

The Wild are 3-1 in shootouts and 7-3 after regulation., Dallas is 0-2 and 0-6. … Robertson has 41 points, third in the NHL. … Greenway and Oettinger were teammates at Boston University for two seasons. … Kaprizov’s ninth powerplay goal leaves him one behind league leader Leon Draisaitl of Edmonton. … Robertson’s points streak is one short of the league’s longest active streak, owned by Toronto’s Mitch Marner. … Dallas went in with the NHL’s No. 2 power play at 30.0% but went 0 for 4 and minus-1. … Fleury went into play with a 1.98 career goals against average vs. Dallas.

UP NEXT

Wild: play Wednesday at Calgary.

Stars: Hosting Toronto on Tuesday with Robertson’s Dallas-record 18-game points streak matched against Mitch Marner’s 19-game streak that’s currently the NHL’s longest.