Minnesota 4, San Jose 3
When: 6:00 PM ET, Sunday, February 26, 2012
Where: Xcel Energy Center, Saint Paul, Minnesota
Referees:
Jean Hebert, Paul Devorski
Linesmen:
Michel Cormier, Thor Nelson
Attendance:
17401
By SportsDirect Inc.
WILD 4, SHARKS 3: Jed Ortmeyer burned his former team by snapping a tie with just over four minutes remaining in the third period as Minnesota rallied to its third win in 11 games.
San Jose received a scare when coach Todd McLellan was escorted to the locker room early in the second period after he was hit in the head by a stick. The team said that he was alert and watched the rest of the game from his office.
Defenseman Nick Schultz scored to snap a 100-game goalless drought and Cal Clutterbuck and Matt Cullen also tallied for the Wild, who moved to within five points of eighth-place Dallas.
Tommy Wingels and captain Joe Thornton scored 1:59 apart in the first period and former Wild defenseman Brent Burns also tallied for San Jose, which wrapped up a season-high nine-game road trip with a 2-6-1 mark.
After Cullen leveled the contest at 3-3 with 5:27 left in the third period with a deflection, Ortmeyer gave Minnesota the lead just 74 seconds later. Ortmeyer deflected a shot in front for his first goal since March 28, 2010 - when he was a member of the Sharks.
With Warren Peters serving a tripping penalty, Burns gave San Jose a 3-2 lead at 8:45 of the third period after blasting a shot from the point for his 10th goal of the season and third in eight games.
Wingels opened the scoring 1:22 into the contest as Jamie McGinn fed Wingels behind the net. Wingels then skated out in front and tucked the puck past Niklas Backstrom for his third goal of the season.
Thornton doubled the advantage at 3:21 of the first period after cleaning up a rebound for his 14th tally of the campaign. The captain now has two goals and five assists during his five-game point streak.
Clutterbuck trimmed the deficit back to one midway through the first period after his shot from the right faceoff circle slipped past Greiss.
Schultz then leveled the contest 1:43 into the second period after his point shot deflected off Patrick Marleau's stick and past Greiss.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Schultz's goal was his first since Jan. 2, 2011. ... Marleau, who notched two assists, has four goals and two helpers in his last five contests.
Top Game Performances
| San Jose |
|
Minnesota |
|
Brent Burns 2 |
Points |
Cal Clutterbuck 1 |
|
Brent Burns 1 |
Goals |
Cal Clutterbuck 1 |
|
Patrick Marleau 2 |
Assists |
Kyle Brodziak 1 |
|
Brent Burns 1 |
Power Play Goals |
Nick Schultz 1 |
|
N/A |
Short Handed Goals |
N/A |
|
Thomas Greiss .846 |
Save Percentage |
Niklas Backstrom .893 |
|
Thomas Greiss 22 |
Saves |
Niklas Backstrom 25 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Shots |
Goals |
Power Play |
Penalty Kill |
Penalty Mins |
Face Offs Won |
| San Jose
|
28 |
3 |
1-3 |
3-4 |
8 |
36 |
| Minnesota
|
26 |
4 |
1-4 |
2-3 |
6 |
22 |
Upcoming Games
-
Minnesota will play their next game at home against Los Angeles. The Wild have a W/L % of .593 after a win and .343 after a loss.
-
San Jose will play their next game at home against Philadelphia. The Sharks have a W/L % of .531 after a win and .517 after a loss.
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