The day was already a meaningful one for Matt Dumba, with the defenseman's inaugural hockey camp to spark more diversity and inclusion in hockey kicking off Saturday morning in Roseville — a passion project Dumba hoped would give more kids the chance to fall in love with the game like he has.
But the participants weren't the only ones impacted by the event.
Dumba was also inspired, and the Wild was the beneficiary.
With 0.3 seconds remaining in overtime, Dumba pushed the Wild past the Kings 4-3 at Xcel Energy Center, securing the team's sixth consecutive victory in dramatic fashion.
This is the Wild's longest winning streak since its franchise-best 12-game run Dec. 4-29, 2016.
"To see the videos of the kids and the pictures throughout the day of them just having a blast just gave me all the motivation in the world to come out tonight and really focus and try to give my best and just have a real solid game," Dumba said. "So, I couldn't have asked for a better ending."
The buzzer-beater by Dumba was his sixth overtime goal, the most in franchise history. His finish is also the record for the latest OT goal, officially clocking in at 4:59.
"I had no clue how much time was on the clock," Dumba said. "I knew it was winding down."