Takeaways: Danila Yurov’s first NHL goal lifts Wild past Rangers 3-1

NEW YORK – The Wild finally played an offense struggling more than theirs.

After ending a historic scoring scoring drought, the Rangers resumed their rut, and the Wild squeaked by 3-1 Monday night at Madison Square Garden to end their three-game losing streak.

Rookie forward Danila Yurov scored his first NHL goal in his fifth career game, converting a rebound in the third period to split a 1-1 tie that had been in place since the first period.

“I’m happy to be here, to score first goal,” Yurov said.

Kirill Kaprizov polished off the victory with an empty-netter, and goaltender Filip Gustavsson made 23 saves.

Overall, the Wild are 3-3-1.

“It felt more like us,” Gustavsson said.

The Rangers were the first team in NHL history to get shut out in its first three home games, but they needed only 57 seconds to capitalize against the Wild.

Artemi Panarin got loose in the middle to flip a wrister by Gustavsson and nix their skid just shy of the 1928 Pittsburgh Pirates’ record for longest scoreless streak at home to start a season (187:19).

At 5:10, Jonas Brodin’s deflected shot handcuffed Shesterkin.

“No heads on the bench went down,” Gustavsson said. “They just went straight out to the next shift and kept grinding.”

Brodin’s first goal of the season was part of a Wild takeover in the first.

“We tried to be more aggressive I think and just help each other in the offensive zone,” Kaprizov said.

Although the Wild didn’t take advantage of any of their chances — this was the third game in a row they haven’t netted a power play goal — they were generating consistent offensive-zone time, and that wasn’t the case during their losing streak. New York blanked on its lone power play.

“It’s hard to win in this league if you don’t play how you’re meant to play,” said Gustavsson, who made a clutch stop in tight in the third against Mika Zibanejad to preserve the Wild’s 2-1 lead. “You’re not going to win in this league. Today everyone [dug] in.”

The Wild’s 17 shots in the first period were one more than they had in their 2-1 overtime loss to the Flyers on Saturday.

“Our forwards did a good job staying in lanes and being open for [the defense],” coach John Hynes said. “So, I think the mindset of the ‘D’ was to be able to get the pucks north, whether that was skating, whether that was moving the puck fast, and that allowed us to play a quicker game.”

NHL standings

They’re still waiting for a breakout performance, but the Wild got the result they deserved.

Their goal output was not indicative of their effort, which was the sharpest it’s been since the season-opening 5-0 dusting of the Blues, and that’s commendable considering who was missing.

Veteran defenseman Zach Bogosian remained out, but the Wild were also missing center Marco Rossi.

Like Bogosian, Rossi has a lower-body injury from a shot block; he was hurt in Philadelphia but finished that game.

“When a guy like him says he can’t play,” Hynes said, “then you know there’s something really bothering him.”

In Rossi’s absence, the Wild elevated Yurov and added Ben Jones up the middle, and the promotion suited Yurov, who has been responsible away from the puck but had yet to show his offensive potential that made him a first-round pick by the Wild in 2022.

That finally changed.

“He scored a big goal for us,” Kaprizov said. “It was tie game, and he scored in the third period. It’s a lot, for the team, for him, and he’s just more confident every day.”

This road trip concludes Wednesday at New Jersey, which is off to a strong start at 4-1.