LOS ANGELES – Instead of jetting off to a new city, the Wild hung around Los Angeles after its season opener for a double dose of the Kings — one of the quirks in the 2021 schedule that has the Wild playing every opponent at least twice before moving on to someone else.
The rematch didn't exactly hint at a rivalry brewing between these new neighbors in the West Division, but it did lead to some early separation in the standings.
After claiming Round 1 in extra time Thursday, the Wild stuck to the same script by overcoming a two-goal deficit in the third period to eke out a 4-3 overtime victory and start the season 2-0 for the first time since 2015. It's the first time a team won its first two games of a season by overcoming a multigoal deficit, according to NHL Stats.
"We're a confident group no matter what the score is, which is a good sign," goalie Cam Talbot said.
Defenseman Ryan Suter extended the action when he scored with two seconds remaining in the third period, and center Marcus Johansson completed the rally on a rising shot with 11 seconds to go for the sweep. Kirill Kaprizov set up the game-winner, his fourth point in his young NHL career.
(Editor's note: On Sunday, the Suter goal was credited to Matt Dumba, who deflected the shot on the way in.)
This was just the second time in Wild history the team has won back-to-back games after trailing by multiple goals in the third period, with Oct. 28 and 30, 2014, the other instance.
"It's unbelievable to see that we can turn games around like this," Johansson said. "Obviously, we don't want to do that every night. But it shows the strength we have in this group and the belief in what we're doing."