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HomeSportsWild outshine Islanders 4-2 for season's first consecutive victories

Wild outshine Islanders 4-2 for season’s first consecutive victories

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ELMONT, N.Y. – The Wild took their redemption tour on the road.

After finally ditching their pesky losing streak, the Wild won back-to-back games for the first time this season when they dumped the Islanders 4-2 on Tuesday at UBS Arena at the beginning of their three-stop trip through New York.

Next up is a date with the Rangers on Thursday before the Wild travel upstate to Buffalo and face the Sabres on Friday.

Kirill Kaprizov split a 2-2 tie in the Wild’s favor on the power play at 6 minutes, 50 seconds of the third period, polishing off a Wild comeback that was put in motion when Vinni Lettieri tied the score with his first goal with the team.

In net, Marc-Andre Fleury had 26 stops for the Wild and, at 547 career victories, is five away from passing Patrick Roy and becoming the second-winningest goaltender in NHL history.

Fleury stayed in the crease after he was ushered in for what looked like mop-up duty on Saturday, the veteran netminder replacing Filip Gustavsson after the Wild were blitzed for three goals on four shots by the Rangers at Xcel Energy Center.

But the Wild delivered a rare rally, and the timing couldn’t have been better. Their 5-4 shootout win snapped a four-game slide, and they skated like a much more confident group against the Islanders.

Take their start: On the first shift of the game, Joel Eriksson Ek funneled a dump-in to Pat Maroon, and Maroon wired the puck top-shelf past New York goalie Semyon Varlamov at 19 seconds to give the Wild the lead on their first shot of the night.

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As for Maroon, he’s up to two goals and seven assists in his first season with the Wild; the three-time Stanley Cup champion, whom the Wild acquired in a summer trade with the Lightning, had five goals and 14 assists all last season.

Eventually, the Islanders caught up, Noah Dobson walking into a blistering shot at 11 minutes to send both teams back to Square One.

After passing its first test in the first period, the Wild penalty kill wasn’t as successful in the second.

They gave up a power play goal for Oliver Wahlstrom at 8:34, Wahlstrom splitting a pair of Wild players to the inside before hurling a shot by Fleury.

Overall, the Wild, which own the NHL’s worst penalty kill, went 4-for-5.

But their power play (1-for-4) provided the lift they needed after Lettieri served up the equalizer.

At 12:03 of the second, Lettieri’s shot from deep in the slot eluded Varlamov.

Not only was the goal Lettieri’s first since signing with the Wild in the offseason and first in the NHL since Jan. 26, 2022, when he was with the Ducks, but he reached the milestone with grandfather and former North Stars general manager and player Lou Nanne in the Bally Sports North booth on color commentary duty.

“Relief for him,” Nanne said about how he felt when Lettieri scored. “I’m feeling for him because I know he’s feeling relief.”

That highlight made the power play’s contribution at 6:50 of the third period, a wind-up from Kaprizov, the deciding goal and the start of an assertive finish by the Wild.

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Only 42 seconds later, Maroon stole the puck from the Islanders and set up Eriksson Ek for a one-timer that flew by Varlamov (27 saves) that put the finishing touches on the team’s second consecutive victory.



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