GLENDALE, Ariz. – Ryan Hartman was a bystander for the final leg of the Wild's previous rally, a come-from-behind bid that faded into a one-goal loss Thursday in San Jose after Hartman was dinged with a questionable slashing major and misconduct against the Sharks' Evander Kane in the third period.
Not only did killing off that penalty put the Wild's offensive pursuits on hold, it also cost it a sparkplug in Hartman, who may have helped seal the deal.
But in his next chance, Hartman made up for lost time by clinching a 4-3 comeback win over the Coyotes on Saturday in front of 14,428 at Gila River Arena. The Wild twice erased two-goal deficits to improve to 2-1 with one stop to go on this four-game road trip.
"I tend to like to finish the game," Hartman said.
Promoted to the third line after winger Luke Kunin was a late scratch with food poisoning, Hartman capitalized on the opportunity — burying a crafty feed from the corner by defenseman Jared Spurgeon 4 minutes, 54 seconds into the third for his first game-winner with the Wild.
"It's nice to finally put one in and contribute a little bit," Hartman said.
His story of redemption, however, wasn't the only one.
After giving up three goals before the halfway point, goalie Devan Dubnyk found a rhythm, turning aside 20 consecutive shots to give the Wild the steadiness it needed to claw its way back. Overall, Dubnyk totaled 32 saves. At the other end, Darcy Kuemper made 20.