The Minnesota Wild visit the Toronto Maple Leafs Monday night in a matchup of teams riding the momentum of comeback overtime wins on the road.
After enduring a 0-2-1 homestand, the Wild opened a three-game road trip on a positive note on Saturday. They tied the game late in the third period and went on to defeat the Buffalo Sabres 5-4 in overtime on Mats Zuccarello’s power-play goal.
It was a good response for the injury-depleted Wild, who were without forwards Matt Boldy, Joel Eriksson Ek and Marcus Johansson as well as defensemen Jonas Brodin and Zach Bogosian.
“I think none of us liked how the homestand went.” Wild coach John Hynes said. “I think to be able to get on the road with this group – this is the group that we’re going to have for the road trip – was to get to the identity and play the game that gives us the best chance to win. And the guys bought into it, they did it, they executed and we found a way to win, which is great.”
The Wild are 4-3-3 in their past 10 games.
Toronto rallied from a two-goal deficit in the third period Saturday before defeating the Winnipeg Jets 4-3 on Max Domi’s overtime goal on a pass from Auston Matthews.
The win completed a 2-1-1 trip for the Maple Leafs, who will play their next five at home.
“We found a way to regroup,” Domi said. “I think that just shows the character in this locker room. We stuck together and played for each other, and then you saw that, that’s how good teams find ways to win. You have to give credit to Winnipeg, they played a great game. But we found a way to stick with them and get the huge two points we needed.”
The Wild’s depth will again be tested when they meet the Maple Leafs, who are 7-1-2 in their past 10 games. Minnesota defenseman Quinn Hughes feels the team proved Saturday that it is up to the challenge.
“This is a deep team,” said Hughes, who had a goal and an assist. “We have a lot of guys that are capable, even call-ups that can play. So, yeah, obviously we needed the win. It was a tough two games there at home. Obviously, everyone takes it pretty personal.”
“This is the stuff that builds teams, builds momentum,” added Wild forward Marcus Foligno, who scored the opening goal. “We talked about it. (Hynes) talked about it. It’s a building-block game really. We came in as an underdog tonight. They’re a great team, and they got a lot of steam going right now and it’s a lot of offensive power.”
This will be the first meeting of the season between the teams.
Matthews played a strong game Saturday and had a goal and an assist for the Maple Leafs.
“We just battled, competed for the full 60 minutes,” Matthews said. “I don’t think we ever got down when we were down throughout the game. I just thought, period after period, we built our game and got better as the game went on.
“This was a tough road trip. Playing some good teams, a lot of travel. This is a tough building to play in here, especially at the end of a road trip. It’s just nice to collect these points, get on the good side of it, and be able to go back home feeling good about ourselves.”
–Field Level Media
