Minnesota 4, Toronto 3
When: 2:00 PM ET, Thursday, January 3, 2019
Where: Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, Ontario
Referees:
Dean Morton, Dan O'Halloran
Linesmen:
Scott Cherrey, Kory Nagy
Attendance:
19244
By Field Level Media
Zach Parise scored early in the third period and the visiting Minnesota Wild held on to earn a 4-3 comeback win against the Toronto Maple Leafs Thursday afternoon.
Jared Spurgeon notched a goal and two assists for the Wild, and Charlie Coyle had a goal and an assist. Mikko Koivu added a goal, and Parise also had an assist.
Mitch Marner scored twice for the Maple Leafs, who led 2-0 and 3-2. William Nylander also scored a goal and John Tavares added two assists for Toronto.
Devan Dubnyk made 38 saves for Minnesota, 19 in the third period.
Michael Hutchinson, acquired in a trade with the Florida Panthers on Dec. 29, started in goal for Toronto and stopped 30 shots.
Toronto's No. 1 goaltender, Frederik Andersen, was put on injured reserved Thursday, and backup Garret Sparks is in concussion protocol. Hutchinson and Kasimir Kaskisuo were recalled on an emergency basis from the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League.
Marner, allowed to waltz through the defense, scored on a backhand seven seconds into the first period with assists to Connor Brown and Tavares.
He added his 15th goal this season from the slot at 5:38 of the first period, converting a short pass from Tavares.
The Wild answered with Coyle's seventh of the season, assisted by Luke Kunin and Spurgeon, at 9:10 of the first. Coyle scooped up a loose puck and flipped a high backhand into the goal.
Minnesota tied the game at 5:09 of the second period on Koivu's sixth goal this season on a rebound after Hutchinson's save on Spurgeon.
The Maple Leafs regained the lead at 8:16 of the second on Nylander's first goal of the season on a short shot from a sharp angle.
Minnesota tied the game at 9:36 of the second on Spurgeon's fifth goal this season, a screened shot from the right circle.
Parise score his 18th goal of the season at 4:21 of the third from the left circle, giving Minnesota its first lead of the game. Coyle got the assist.
--Field Level Media
Top Game Performances
| Minnesota |
|
Toronto |
|
Jared Spurgeon 3 |
Points |
Mitchell Marner 2 |
|
Jared Spurgeon 1 |
Goals |
Mitchell Marner 2 |
|
Jared Spurgeon 2 |
Assists |
John Tavares 2 |
|
N/A |
Power Play Goals |
N/A |
|
N/A |
Short Handed Goals |
N/A |
|
Devan Dubnyk .927 |
Save Percentage |
Michael Hutchinson .882 |
|
Devan Dubnyk 38 |
Saves |
Michael Hutchinson 30 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Shots |
Goals |
Power Play |
Penalty Kill |
Penalty Mins |
Face Offs Won |
| Minnesota
|
34 |
4 |
0-1 |
4-4 |
10 |
26 |
| Toronto
|
41 |
3 |
0-4 |
1-1 |
4 |
43 |
Upcoming Games
-
Toronto will play their next game at home against Vancouver. The Maple Leafs have a W/L % of .692 after a win and .571 after a loss.
-
Minnesota will play their next game on the road against Ottawa. The Wild have a W/L % of .500 after a win and .476 after a loss.
For more information, contact us