The Wild’s winning streak is over, but falling 4-2 to the Jets wasn’t their most concerning loss.
Leading scorer Kirill Kaprizov and goaltender Filip Gustavsson exited early after getting hurt on Saturday afternoon at Winnipeg’s Canada Life Centre, injuries that put their availability for the rematch on Sunday in St. Paul in question.
Coach John Hynes did not provide an update after the game.
How the Wild lost: Former Wild forward Nino Niederreiter scored twice for Winnipeg, and goaltender Connor Hellebuyck finished with 34 saves after thwarting a Wild comeback that came close to erasing a three-goal deficit.
“We didn’t dictate the play like we normally do,” Hynes told reporters in Winnipeg. “I thought that was a big difference.”
Alex Iafallo’s shot caromed off captain Jared Spurgeon then Gustavsson’s skate before flying into the net 3 minutes, 59 seconds into the first period.
This was Spurgeon’s first game since sitting out seven with a lower-body injury.
Then with 5:22 to go in the period, Niederreiter buried a puck that rolled through the crease before backhanding in his own rebound 6:45 into the second to give him five goals in his last five games against the Wild.
As for Hellebuyck, he racked up 13 stops vs. the Wild power play, which went 1-for-5.
Most of those looks came at opportune times for the Wild, like when they trailed 2-0, after they trimmed the Jets’ lead to 3-1 and late in the third period when they pulled the goalie for a 6-on-4 advantage. But the Wild blanked on each of those chances. Their penalty kill was a perfect 4-for-4.
“We knew coming into the series we were going to have to bring our best to win, and tonight I thought there were times where we had it,” Hynes said. “But we didn’t have it like we normally do.”
Turning point: After Ryan Hartman capitalized on the power play at 10:05 of the second for his fourth goal in as many games, Matt Boldy stoked the Wild’s rally by connecting on a behind-the-net pass from Kaprizov.
The goal was Boldy’s 10th in his last 15 games, and Kaprizov picked up his 10th point during a six-game point streak.
But 2:26 after Boldy scored, Winnipeg’s Axel Jonsson-Fjallby halted the Wild’s momentum when he unleashed a shot by Marc-Andre Fleury, who replaced Gustavsson to start the third after Gustavsson (19 saves) sustained a lower-body injury.
“Gus went to the bench, and he wasn’t feeling great,” Fleury said. “So I knew there was a possibility.”
To make matters worse for the Wild, they skated the final 10 minutes without Kaprizov, who was cross-checked in the back by the Jets’ Brenden Dillon. Jake Middleton fought Dillon in the aftermath.
“It’s that next-man-up mentality,” Boldy said.
Fleury ended up making nine stops in relief in his 999th career game, meaning he could become only the fourth goalie to play 1,000 as soon as Sunday at Xcel Energy Center.
“It’s pretty cool, cool to get there,” said Fleury, who is also one victory away from reaching 551 and tying Patrick Roy for the second-most wins in NHL history. “But it’ll be nice to be done with it.”
What it means: The Wild have been cruising, winning four in a row before this loss — just their fourth in the 15 games they’ve logged since Hynes replaced Dean Evason behind the bench.
But the Jets offered up a reminder of how challenging the teams near the top of the Central Division and Western Conference are, the victory widening their lead over the Wild to 10 points.
Although the Wild will have the last line change on Sunday and therefore more influence on the matchups, earning a split will be tougher if Kaprizov is unable to suit up. Already, the Wild are missing defenseman Jonas Brodin and winger Mats Zuccarello due to upper-body injuries.
“I liked that we didn’t quit,” Fleury said. “I thought the guys battled hard all the way to the end. I think we all agree it wasn’t our best night, but good thing about it is right back at it tomorrow and we can play a little bit more like we can.”
The Star Tribune did not send the writer of this article to the game. This was written using a broadcast, interviews and other material.