A goal by Mats Zuccarello midway through the second period helped give the Minnesota Wild a 2–1 win over the Arizona Coyotes.
The NHL game was played in St. Paul, Minnesota on Saturday night.
The Norwegian scored after 9.39 in the second period, when the Wild were outnumbered five to three. The occasion was a somewhat chaotic play in front of the Coyotes goal that resulted in nothing. When the puck was free again, the Wild got a more structured attack, and Zuccarello was well positioned and could put it in the net. The pass came from Kirill Kaprizov, and Calen Addison was also credited with an assist.
Just 51 seconds later, when the Coyotes had just gotten a full team on the field, Frederick Gaudreau scored the Wild’s second goal.
The regular season in the NHL is just over half over, but Minnesota is in good shape so far. The team holds third place in its division, a place which gives direct qualification to the play-offs.
– As long as you are in the fight for a place in the play-offs, in the middle of the season, you have everything to play for. It’s good and I think every team in the league is using every single day to get better, and so are we,” Zuccarello said of where the team stands at this point in the season, according to NHL website.
5.42 out in the third and final period Lawson Crouse reduced for the visitors. The result 2–1 stood the game.
Mats Zuccarello got just over 16 minutes on the ice on Saturday. With the score, he is up to 44 goal points in 40 games, divided into 18 goals and 26 assists. Only teammate and friend Kirill Kaprizov has more points for the Wild so far this season with 52 (25 goals and 27 assists).
The score against the Coyotes was Zuccarello’s 182nd so far in the Norwegian’s NHL career.
