The Minnesota Wild traveled to Washington, DC to battle the Washington Capitals. Like the Minnesota Wild, the Washington Capitals are one of the surprise teams of the 2024-25 season as both teams have been at or near the top of the NHL standings for most of the season. Washington has done much of that without F Alexander Ovechkin who was having his greatest goal-scoring season with 15 goals in 18 games before a knee injury took him out for 4-6 weeks. He was activated 3 games ago for the game on December 28th and he scored 2 more goals in those 3 games so he’s now just 24 goals away from tying Wayne Gretzky’s 894 goals, the most career goals in the regular season.
2024-25 Minnesota Wild Schedule and Results
23-11-4 (W-L-OTL) (52 points)
2nd in the NHL Central Division
2024-25 Washington Capitals Schedule and Results
25-10-2 (W-L-OTL) (52 points)
1st in the NHL Metropolitan Division
NHL Hockey Standings
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Alright. Enough words. Let’s…
Drop the ClutterPuck!!!
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Here’s how the teams lined up:
Recap
1st Period
Washington Capitals G Charlie Lindgren had to make a couple of glove saves early.
Washington scored when a shot from the left point went off of F Tom Wilson who was all alone in front of the net and he got to the puck quickly and Wild G Marc-Andre Fleury couldn’t move quick enough to stop it. This is why you Shoot the Puck!!!
9:41 – Goal – Washington – Tom Wilson (15) from Rasmus Sandin (12)
Minnesota Wild 0 | 1 Washington Capitals
Just 55 seconds later, Minnesota Wild D Zach Bogosian took a shot from the right point with F Ryan Hartman in front of the net and tipped it past Washington G Charlie Lindgren to tie the game at 1!
8:36 – Goal – Minnesota – Ryan Hartman (5) from Zach Bogosian (5) & Joel Eriksson Ek (11)
Minnesota Wild 1 | 1 Washington Capitals
On the penalty kill, Wild F Frederick Gaudreau broke up a play at the blue line and sent the puck all the way down the ice. Washington G Charlie Lindgren went behind the net to get the puck and tried a fake to trick Wild F Yakov Trenin but Trenin just skated to him and stretched his stick out towards the puck. He got a piece of the goalie’s stick and knocked it out of his hands. The puck was “just lying there” and Trenin skated around the other side of the net but had the patience and well with all to know the goalie didn’t have a stick so he waited then moved around him and out the puck in the empty net! YAKOV!!!!
0:53 – Goal – SHG – Minnesota – Yako Trenin (3) – Unassisted
Minnesota Wild 2 | 1 Washington Capitals
2nd Period
Wild F Marat Khusnutdinov took a 4-minute high-sticking penalty and Alex Ovechkin took a shot from the left point to beat Fleiry and tie the game at 2.
4:52 – Goal – PPG – Washington – Alex Ovechkin (18) from Dylan Strome (30)
Minnesota Wild 2 | 2 Washington Capitals
The Wild still had to kill off the 2nd half of the 4-minute double minor before they could get back to work.
3rd Period
14:26 – Goal – PPG – Washington – Martin Ferehervary (1) from Pierre-Luc Dubois (24)
Minnesota Wild 2 | 3 Washington Capitals
Washington scored but it was ruled the puck was played with a high stick.
Immediately after that play, the Wild went down the ice and Wild F Marco Rossi tipped a shot from the right point in to tie the game at 3. Geez! That’s a nice play from the young Austrian! “Austria? Well then… G’day Mate. Let’s put another shrimp on the ‘barbie?”
8:41 – Goal – Minnesota – Marco Rossi (15) from Ryan Hartman (5) & Jonas Brodin (10)
MARCOOOOO!!! GOAL-OOOOO!!!
Minnesota Wild 3 | 3 Washington Capitals
OVERTIME!!!
Both teams played very carefully in overtime, but Wild F Matt Boldy broke up a play at his own blue line and outskated two Capitals to get a great scoring chance that looked or at least sounded like it went in, thanks to the announcer. However, the shot only hit the post.
So to a shootout this game went…
and Matt Boldy scored in the 2nd round…
… so Alex Ovechkin had to score on Fleury to extend the game and… HE DIDN’T!!!
That’s another Wild Victory! ✌️ Points!!!
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Final-OT
Minnesota Wild 4 | 3 Washington Capitals
Goals
MN:
Ryan Hartman (5); Yakov Trenin (3); Marco Rossi (15)
WSH:
Tom Wilson (15); Alex Ovechkin (18); Martin Ferhervary (1)
Assists
MN:
Zach Bogosian (5), Joel Eriksson Ek (11); Unassisted; Ryan Hartman (5), Jonas Brodin (10)
WSH:
Rasmus Sandin (12); Dylan Strome (30); Pierre-Luc Dubois (24)
Goalies
MN:
Marc-André Fleury
28 Saves on 31 Shots; .903 Save %; 2.81 GAA*; 7th Win
WSH:
Stuart Skinner
30 Saves on 33 Shots; .909 Save %; 2.70 GAA*; 1st Shootout Loss
*Goals Against Average
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Next up:
The Wild travel to Carolina where there’s nothing finer than a matchup with the Carolina Hurricanes at 6:00 pm CST on FanDuel Sports Network North Extra!
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Thanks for Reading!!!
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