Minnesota 2, New Jersey 1
When: 7:00 PM ET, Tuesday, March 21, 2023
Where: Prudential Center, Newark, New Jersey
Referees:
Frederick L'Ecuyer, T.J. Luxmore
Linesmen:
Steve Barton, Joe Mahon
Attendance:
16124
By Field Level Media
Matt Boldy scored with two seconds left in overtime and Filip Gustavsson made a career-high 47 saves as the visiting Minnesota Wild beat the New Jersey Devils 2-1 in Newark, N.J., on Tuesday night.
After the Devils' Jack Hughes hit the post in the waning seconds of overtime, the puck caromed off the far board and onto the stick of Boldy, who broke free, then flipped a back-hander past Vitek Vanecek (27 saves).
Mason Shaw also scored and Gustavsson kept his team in the game all night as the Wild (41-22-8, 90 points), in the mix for the Central Division title, improved to 13-1-3 in their last 17 games.
Timo Meier scored for the Devils (45-18-8, 98 points), who are in the mix for first place in the Metropolitan Division, but mired in a 1-2-2 stretch.
With the game scoreless after two periods, Minnesota got on the board first. Shaw got enough of the puck to knock it in off the stick of New Jersey's Ondrej Palat and through Vanecek at 6:41 of the third.
However, with 7:52 remaining in regulation, the Devils answered. Meier's wraparound clipped the left skate of Gustavsson and in for his 35th goal of the season and his fourth in 10 games since joining New Jersey from San Jose.
The first two periods between two of the NHL's best defensive teams, each allowing an average of 2.67 goals per game beginning the night, featured plenty of tight checking and physical play.
The Devils' Jesper Bratt had two quality looks at the net in the final 5:30 of the second period, but Gustavsson was up to the task. He also stopped quality chances from Meier and Hughes later in the middle frame.
Meanwhile, Vanecek also found himself busy in the second period, facing 11 shots from the Wild. He made a key stop on a snapshot from ex-Devil Marcus Johansson with a little more than one minute to play in the second.
Minnesota, amid a 7-0-2 stretch on the road, has won the last five meetings between the teams.
--Field Level Media
Top Game Performances
| Minnesota |
|
New Jersey |
|
Matt Boldy 1 |
Points |
Timo Meier 1 |
|
Matt Boldy 1 |
Goals |
Timo Meier 1 |
|
Connor Dewar 1 |
Assists |
Jesper Bratt 1 |
|
N/A |
Power Play Goals |
N/A |
|
N/A |
Short Handed Goals |
N/A |
|
Filip Gustavsson .979 |
Save Percentage |
Vitek Vanecek .931 |
|
Filip Gustavsson 47 |
Saves |
Vitek Vanecek 27 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Shots |
Goals |
Power Play |
Penalty Kill |
Penalty Mins |
Face Offs Won |
| Minnesota
|
29 |
2 |
0-1 |
3-3 |
6 |
27 |
| New Jersey
|
48 |
1 |
0-3 |
1-1 |
2 |
24 |
Upcoming Games
-
New Jersey will play their next game on the road against Buffalo. The Devils have a W/L % of .630 after a win and .640 after a loss.
-
Minnesota will play their next game on the road against Philadelphia. The Wild have a W/L % of .585 after a win and .567 after a loss.
For more information, contact us