Takeaways: Mats Zuccarello’s overtime goal lifts Wild to 5-4 victory over Sabres

The Wild snapped out of their slump in the most unlikely circumstances.

Missing their best forward line and two veteran defensemen because of injury, the Wild topped the sizzling Sabres 5-4 in overtime Saturday afternoon, Jan. 17, at KeyBank Center for their first victory in four games.

“This is a deep team,” defenseman Quinn Hughes told reporters in Buffalo. “We got a lot of guys that are capable, even call-ups that can play. So, yeah, obviously we needed the win. Tough two games there at home. Obviously, everyone takes it pretty personal.

“So, nice to win.”

Mats Zuccarello scored on a 4-on-3 power play 1 minute, 46 seconds into overtime after Hughes netted the equalizer late in the second period with his second goal for the Wild, who coughed up a 3-1 lead earlier in the period.

“[Zuccarello] always try [to] make some passes,” said Kirill Kaprizov, who handed off to Zuccarello for his third assist of the game. “But I know he has a great shot, and he should shoot more.”

Vladimir Tarasenko had a goal and an assist, former Sabres player Marcus Foligno fell an assist short of a Gordie Howe hat trick and Ryan Hartman scored for the fourth time in six games.

Filip Gustavsson turned aside 20 shots before assisting on Zuccarello’s game-winner, the goaltender sending a heads-up clear to Kaprizov while the Sabres went for a line change. Kaprizov then set up Zuccarello for his eighth career OT goal and fourth with the Wild.

“Kirill likes to be up there,” Gustavsson said, “and give just him the puck, and he dishes it over to Zuccy, and Zuccy finishes.”

Buffalo had won 15 of its previous 17 games, and what made the matchup even more challenging for the Wild was playing without a quarter of their typical lineup after a winless homestand that saw the team fall in overtime before losing two in a row in regulation for just the second time in 39 games.

Matt Boldy and Marcus Johansson are the latest to exit hurt, a surprising development after the two teamed up for a goal late in the 6-2 loss to Winnipeg on Thursday, Jan. 15.

“Something was bothering” Johansson the next day, Hynes said, while Boldy is dealing with a nagging issue.

Everyone has a lower-body injury, and all but Johansson are on injured reserve. Hynes said only Bogosian is a possibility to join the Wild on this three-game road trip.

“This is the stuff that builds teams, builds momentum,” Foligno said. “We talked about it. Hynsie talked about it. It’s a building-block game really. We came in as an underdog, really, tonight. They’re a great team, and they got a lot of steam going right now, and it’s a lot of offensive power.

“But when you inject guys ... guys just want to play hard and compete. That’s all we wanted to do tonight: We wanted to compete.”

A shell of themselves, the Wild kept it simple to start, and that suited them.

Smart passing from Hughes to Ben Jones and Tarasenko led to Foligno connecting in front of Sabres goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen 9:19 into the first period. The assist was the first of Jones’ NHL career.

Meanwhile, behind the play, Kesselring and Foligno dropped their gloves, but their fight never happened because of the goal. The two were given unsportsmanlike conduct penalties but did fight after they left the penalty box.

“I don’t think that’s ever happened to me where you get scored on when you’re squaring up,” said Foligno, who mentioned it was “extra special” getting a goal with his dad Mike (who also played for Buffalo) in the crowd. “It was a funny, weird incident.”

After the Wild got through a 59-second 5-on-3 penalty kill, they regained momentum before the first ended on a quintessential Hughes assist, the defenseman spinning at the blue line before cutting back, skating up the wing and throwing the puck to the middle where it was redirected in by Hartman with eight seconds to go.

“We needed a big game from [Hughes],” Hynes said, “and we got one.”

Another slick passing play, this time from Jake Middleton to Danila Yurov and then captain Jared Spurgeon, found Tarasenko off the rush just 1:08 into the second.

That missed opportunity became even more of an eyesore once Buffalo rallied on two goals in 1:27.

A keep-in at the blue line by Mattias Samuelsson was tipped in by Peyton Krebs at 10:07, and then Quinn buried a loose puck in front of Gustavsson at 11:34.

Former Wild forward Alex Tuch put the Sabres ahead 4-3 with 3:53 remaining in the second on a rising shot on the power play to push his point streak to seven games; that was one of four power plays for Buffalo, with the Wild in penalty trouble for the second straight game, but many of the calls against them were questionable.

Fortunately for the Wild, Hughes responded to Tuch’s goal with a slapshot only 57 seconds later.

“Honestly, I just feel like I’ve had chances to score, Grade-As every game, and it just hasn’t gone for me,” Hughes said. “There’s years like last year, the year before that, it was going for me. Had a lot of good bounces over the years, and I just feel like I needed one.”

“The last three games, I’d say the last two probably, our compete level was subpar,” Foligno said. “You get energy, you just try to do the things right all the time, and you find yourself tied going into the third period on the road, and it gave us a chance.

“We miss those [injured] guys obviously dearly, but we’re not looking at excuses.”

The goal was Zuccarello’s second straight in overtime; he also polished off the 3-2 victoryJan. 8 at Seattle.

Luukkonen totaled 30 saves.

“Maybe I should start shooting now,” Zuccarello said. “Maybe score some more goals.”

NHL standings

The Wild had 10 different players contribute on offense, including multi-point games for Hughes, Kaprizov, Tarasenko and Zuccarello.

With his goal and assist, Hughes is up to 18 points in 17 games with the Wild since getting traded from Vancouver last month.

Asked if he felt pressure to step up amid the injuries, Kaprizov said yes and no “but probably yes” because he will have more ice time and more offensive-zone reps.

“Try to just do my best,” he said.

“We have capable players,” Hynes said, and the Wild were fine when they were structured, getting up ice with quick passes and directing pressure at the net.

“I’m not surprised,” Hughes said. “The team has been known to be hard to play against for many years. High-character guys. Great coaching. So, I’m not surprised that we’re capable of doing it.”

The Wild got in trouble when they weren’t as efficient with the puck, a reminder of how the details matter, but this game showed the Wild can have success even when they’re shorthanded: They just have to stay true to their style.

“We’re expected to win, regardless of who’s in the lineup, so we needed to go out there and prove it, and the guys stuck to the plan of what we wanted to do,” Hynes said. “You don’t win the game unless the guys are willing to do what it takes and play the game that gives you a chance that night, and they certainly did that.”