Wild prevails yet again after goal is overturned

Scott A. Schneider, GETTY/AFP

Kim Johnsson of the Minnesota Wild carries the puck as he's chased by Jakub Voracek of the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Columbus thought it had scored the tying goal with 11.5 seconds left, but a video review by the NHL erased the score and gave the Wild its fifth victory in six games.

By MICHAEL RUSSO, Star Tribune

Last update: October 26, 2008 - 9:11 AM

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The Wild owes the NHL's video war room a bouquet of roses and bottle of Pinot noir.

With all 30 teams in action for only the second time in NHL history, the NHL's "Mission Control" in Toronto was bedlam Saturday night.

More than a dozen sets of eyes were monitoring 15 games, and those eyes were needed when the Wild nearly coughed up a two-goal lead for the second consecutive home game.

With 11.5 seconds left, referee Steve Kozari ruled that Rick Nash had scored the tying goal for the Columbus Blue Jackets. But the war room overturned the goal, deeming Nash had scored with a high stick, and the Wild skated off with a 2-1 victory and big sigh of relief.

"They had a good goal on the ice," NHL Senior Executive Vice President Colin Campbell said, but "we did not have a view that could prove it was a good goal and conclusively."

Wild veteran Owen Nolan, out three games because of a right leg injury, returned to score the winning goal and an assist, Pierre-Marc Bouchard scored the other goal and Niklas Backstrom made 25 saves as the Wild remained the Western Conference's only team without a regulation loss.

But the third period looked like déjà vu for the Wild, which caved in Thursday against Buffalo after a nasty redirection from Adam Mair turned the momentum. On Saturday, Rostislav Klesla wristed a shot that deflected in front and bounced by Backstrom.

Then, with an extra attacker and the seconds ticking down, Nash tipped a puck from the high slot past Backstrom. But was Nash's stick above the crossbar -- which would mean high-stick and no goal?

"The puck was coming really high," Backstrom said. "I had my glove above my head, so I knew it was a pretty high stick. But you're always afraid when it happens so quick."

According to Mike Morreale's behind-the-scenes war room blog on NHL.com, league execs Chris Edwards, Kris King, John Sedgewick and Campbell huddled and reviewed the tip at every angle. Morreale wrote it was "perhaps the toughest call of the night."

Blue Jackets coach Ken Hitchcock said, "Our view on the video was different. What does it matter? They won."

"One hundred percent, I thought it was a goal," Nash said.

Nolan's eventual winner gave the Wild a 2-0 lead eight minutes into the third. After a bad exchange by Fredrik Norrena, who replaced an injured Pascal Leclaire in the second, Mikko Koivu found the puck in the corner.

He spun away from Andrew Murray, circled behind the net and centered for Nolan, who one-timed for his first Wild goal and 382nd of his career.

"I had seen [Koivu spin like that] a few times with the other guys, so I figured he was going to do it," Nolan said. "I just needed to sneak in there somewhere."

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