Sunday, April 24, 2022 08:00 PM (ET)

Wild edge Predators at end of OT, win fifth straight

Field Level Media
Apr 24, 2022

Dmitry Kulikov scored the overtime winner just before the buzzer and Joel Eriksson Ek scored twice in a three-point outing to lead the visiting Minnesota Wild to a 5-4 victory over the Nashville Predators on Sunday.

Kevin Fiala and Nick Bjugstad also scored for the Wild (51-21-7, 109 points), who surrendered three leads but survived to extend their winning streak to five games. Goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury made 21 saves.

Filip Forsberg collected his 40th goal of the season in a three-point game, while Matt Duchene, Ryan Johansen and Dante Fabbro scored once for the Predators (44-29-6, 94 points). Nashville holds the Western Conference's first wild-card playoff spot despite a 3-4-2 slump. Goalie David Rittich stopped 42 shots.

Duchene added an assist, and Mikael Granlund recorded three assists for the Predators.

With a shootout looming, Eriksson Ek created a breakaway chance for Kulikov, and he converted with 1.3 seconds left in the overtime for his seventh goal of the season.

A crazy middle frame in which both teams took and blew a lead was kicked off by Eriksson Ek's first of the game during a scramble at the 6:36 mark.

The Predators responded with a pair of power-play goals past the midway point. Duchene notched his 41st of the year by converting a sharp-angled attempt at 10:40 of the period. Johansen tallied his 24th of the season on a rebound at 13:38.

However, the Wild replied with a pair of goals 70 seconds apart just before the break. Eriksson Ek notched his second of the game, and 25th of the season, by one-timing Fiala's slick cross-ice feed with 93 seconds remaining in the period. Fiala added his 33rd by sniping a back-hand shot from the slot with 22.8 seconds remaining in the period.

To no surprise, the back and forth didn't end there. Fabbro netted his third of the season with 5:40 remaining in regulation with a shot that ricocheted into the net off a defender to send the game to overtime.

The clubs traded first-period goals, with Bjugstad's power-play goal at 11:05 opening the scoring. Forsberg only had to tap in a puck on the line with three seconds left on the clock.

--Field Level Media

Covers 25 Years Logo Established in 1995,
Covers is the world
leader in sports
betting information.
Covers is verified safe by: Evalon Logo GPWA Logo GDPR Logo GeoTrust Logo Evalon Logo