Tom Willander and Jake DeBrusk scored 42 seconds apart, and Nikita Tolopilo made 34 saves for the last-place Canucks (22-45-8), who were coming off an 8-6 win at the Colorado Avalanche on Wednesday that ended a six-game losing streak. Vancouver hasn’t won consecutive games since winning four in a row through Dec. 20.
“We had a great effort, especially back to back against two good teams like that,” Canucks coach Adam Foote said. “That’s a big, heavy playoff team built to go. They’ve got some explosive offensive players, but powerful as well, and they’re just heavy throughout, and I thought the guys competed to the wire with them.”
Minnesota went up 1-0 at 8:32 of the first period after Joel Eriksson Ek knocked a clearing attempt out of the air inside the blue line, setting up a 2-on-1 that Boldy finished by keeping the puck and snapping it between Tolopilo’s pads from inside the bottom of the left circle. It was Boldy’s first goal in eight games.
Willander tied it 1-1 with the teams playing 4-on-4 at 16:00 after Teddy Blueger’s shot from above the left circle bounced hard off the end boards and came out to Willander on the other side before Gustavsson could get across.
DeBrusk made it 2-1 on the power play at 16:42, batting the puck out of the air behind Gustavsson after Filip Hronek hit the cross bar on a one-timer from the point.
“Kind of got lucky where I was on the ice, but it was nice to cash in,” DeBrusk said.
Boldy reached 40 goals for the first time in the NHL on a breakaway 23 seconds into the second period to tie it 2-2, sending a wrist shot past the glove of Tolopilo after Buium whiffed on a cross-ice pass at the far blue line.
“It’s been a pretty good year with the puck following me, playing with great linemates, a great power play, and creating chances and I’m just happy to see them go in,” Boldy said.
Kaprizov put the Wild ahead 3-2 with his 40th of the season at 6:08 after intercepting a pass from defenseman Elias Pettersson along the boards in the Canucks end. Kaprizov passed immediately across the ice to Zuccarello atop the left circle and then one-timed the quick return feed past a sprawling Tolopilo from below the right face-off dot.
It’s the first time in team history the Wild have multiple 40-goal scorers.
“For them to have a healthy competition, I always think that’s positive, particularly the way that they’ve handled it,” coach John Hynes said.
