Joel Eriksson Ek’s overtime winner completed his hat trick and Mats Zuccarello scored once and added two assists to lead the Minnesota Wild to an incredible 6-5 comeback victory over the Winnipeg Jets in their home opener on Tuesday in Saint Paul, Minn.
Marcus Foligno also scored for the Wild, who have won three straight to start the season. Goalie Cam Talbot stopped 25 shots.
Eriksson Ek, who forced overtime by scoring with the goalie pulled and 59 seconds left in regulation, completed a three-way passing play on an odd-man rush with 90 seconds left in overtime.
Kyle Connor scored twice in a three-point game, while Andrew Copp scored once and added two assists for the Jets, who have lost three straight games to start their season. Josh Morrissey and Pierre-Luc Dubois also scored, while goaltender Connor Hellebuyck stopped 38 shots.
The Wild erased four deficits, including a two-goal hole in the final five minutes of the third period, to force overtime.
Connor opened the scoring early when he found the mark with a short-side offering from just beyond the left face-off dot at the 3:48 mark, but Zuccarello replied with a rebound tally just under a minute later.
Connor netted his second of the game before the midway point of the period when he ripped a one-timer from the slot, but Eriksson Ek tied the game again on a wraparound for a power-play goal with 80 seconds left in the opening frame.
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Morrissey put the visitors ahead a third time when his shot from the right face-off dot hit the twine for a power-play goal at 5:49 of the second period, but Zuccarello’s deflection ricocheted off Morrissey and into the net with 3:01 left in the frame.
Dubois again gave the Jets a lead with a power-play goal at 4:19 of the third period, converting with a quick shot from the slot, and then Copp made it a two-goal edge a couple of minutes later when he wisely elected to shoot on an odd-man rush.
However, Foligno’s man-advantage marker with 4:48 remaining gave the hosts a jolt and — after a potential Winnipeg empty-netter was disallowed — Eriksson Ek netted another equalizer.
–Field Level Media