The Minnesota Wild came out firing in Game 3 against the Dallas Stars, with Mats Zuccarello and goalie Jonas Gustavsson leading the charge to a 5-3 victory. The win puts the Wild up 2-1 in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, giving them a crucial advantage as they fight to advance further into the postseason. Zuccarello was a force to be reckoned with on the offensive end, scoring two goals and adding an assist, while Gustavsson made 28 saves to help keep the Stars at bay. Let’s take a closer look at how these two players paved the way to victory.
The Minnesota Wild bounced back from their 3-0 loss to the Dallas Stars in game two for a fantastic 5-1 win on Friday night, taking a 2-1 lead in the first-round playoff series. Goals came in from the likes of Mats Zuccarello, who scored twice, Ryan Hartman, Marcus Johansson, and Marcus Foligno, with Hartman having an impressive three-point game. Zuccarello, who scored Minnesota’s first goal through a backhander at 16:45 of the first period, also beat Stars goalie Jake Oettinger on a breakaway at 14:07 of the third to get the Wild fans on their feet. Filip Gustavsson, who didn’t play in Game 2, made 23 saves for the Wild. Dallas’ only goal came from Luke Glendening, his first this series, in the second period. Despite the victory, Minnesota insisted that they will move on quickly from this latest win as they still have to win two more games for a chance to move forward. Game 4 of the best-of-seven series is scheduled for Sunday at the Xcel Energy Center.
Joel Eriksson Ek, who had 23 goals and 38 assists during the regular season, returned to the game after missing the first two games of the series with a lower-body injury but left the ice during his first shift of the first period and did not return. Mason Shaw, who tore his ACL for the fourth time in his career earlier this month and is on two crutches, gave the “Let’s Play Hockey!” chant just before puck drop, drawing a standing ovation from the sold-out crowd. Oettinger grew up in Lakeville, Minnesota, which is about 25 miles from the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, and bought about a dozen tickets for friends and family.
And there you have it, folks! The Wild managed to come back strong in Game 3 with some impressive performances by Zuccarello and Gustavsson that helped secure a much-needed win over the Stars. With a final score of 3-0, this victory gives Minnesota the confidence boost they needed to stay in contention for the post-season. As always, we’ll be keeping a close eye on how these two teams fare in future games. Stay tuned!
