Takeaways: Strange overtime goal lifts Wild past Predators 3-2

Marcus Johansson had never been in this situation before, the puck on his stick but the net turned sideways because only one post was anchored into the ice.

But the scene was familiar to the Wild forward.

“I saw something the other night or not too long ago,” Johansson said. “A goal was scored when the net was off.”

So, Johansson kept playing, and the Wild topped a buzzer-beater from the Nashville Predators with their own jaw-dropper.

After giving up the tying goal with two-tenths of a second left in the third period, the Wild recovered 3-2 in overtime Tuesday night at Grand Casino Arena when Johansson was awarded a goal.

Johansson flipped the puck over the goal line 3 minutes, 38 seconds into 3-on-3 action, and the shot counted because Nashville goalie Justus Annunen was responsible for knocking the net ajar.

“Kind of didn’t know what the call was going to be,” Johansson said. “When it’s pushed off like that, maybe it’s the right thing to do. But thankfully I put it in even though the net wasn’t there.”

The Wild blew 1-0 and 2-1 leads, with the last equalizer a one-timer from Steven Stamkos after the Wild iced the puck twice, failed to capitalize into an empty net and lost three defensive-zone faceoffs.

They were also dominated in the second period, getting outshot 14-4 by the Predators, who lost the night before at home in overtime to the Vancouver Canucks.

But the Wild mercifully concluded their season-high six-game homestand with their first winning streak, prevailing in back-to-back games after dropping four in a row in St. Paul and five straight overall.

“As much as we didn’t play how we wanted to tonight, I think we all know how we want to play, and we feel confident in that sense,” rookie defenseman Zeev Buium said. “So, yeah, we didn’t have the best homestand, but we ended up with two wins, and I think Vinnie [Hinostroza] said something about being 1-0 in November, and now we’re 2-0.”

Although the Wild had the edge in rest, not playing since their 5-2 win over Vancouver on Saturday night, they weren’t skating circles around the Predators.

They only escaped the first period ahead because Kirill Kaprizov wove a wide-open shot through traffic on the power play at 10:44 for his eighth goal of the season on the Wild’s second of three total power plays. Nashville, meanwhile, hit two posts.

But the Predators were more accurate in the second.

They tested Wild goalie Filip Gustavsson often, including on two power plays. Their best look, however, was a 2-on-0 break after Tyler Pitlick failed to get the puck out of the Wild’s zone. The Predators went the other way, with Michael McCarron setting up former Gopher Matthew Wood for the tap-in at 5:16.

“We have to fight the panic a little bit,” coach John Hynes said. “We start to throw pucks around or make light plays. We try to use the middle when it’s not available, or if we do, it’s not a for-sure play.”

BOXSCORE: Wild 3, Nashville 2 (OT)

Nashville didn’t let up after scoring.

The Wild were under siege after the tying goal and at one point were stuck in their zone while the Predators played a lengthy game of keep-away; they even executed a line change while maintaining possession.

Nashville had another uncontested look alone in front of Gustavsson but whiffed on the shot.

When the Wild’s Vladimir Tarasenko finally got a hold of the puck and flung it down the ice for a reprieve, the crowd responded with a Bronx cheer.

When the Wild finally got a break from defending on the power play, they took advantage: Buium deflected in a Brock Faber shot at 16:01 of the second period for his third goal.

With Annunen on the bench for an extra attacker, the Predators’ Ryan O’Reilly knocked Matt Boldy off the puck as Boldy vied for an empty-net goal in Nashville territory.

Stamkos connected on his third attempt of the shift after his first two tries were blocked and missed the net. Although the horn sounded as the Predators celebrated, a video review showed the puck crossed the line before time expired.

“It was tough to see that one go in,” Johansson said. “But you’re going to get those kind of breaks, and I think we kind of got a break back with that goal that we scored.”

The Wild also had to wait for confirmation on Johansson’s game-winner, with the NHL citing Rule 63.7 that allows an awarded goal when the net is displaced by a defending player (in this case Annunen) and the attacking player has an “imminent scoring opportunity” in which the puck would have entered the net if it were in its normal position.

Annunen finished with 22 saves, while Gustavsson made 32.

While the result matters most, the process suggests the Wild are still off.

Despite a big win their last time out and going up against a similarly beleaguered Predators team, the Wild weren’t a mismatch. In fact, Nashville had them on guard throughout the night.

Give credit to Gustavsson — and the post — for fending off the threat, and the Wild were fortunate their power play and Johansson’s unusual goal delivered enough offense.

“We didn’t play perfect tonight,” Johansson said. “Especially second period, we didn’t play the way we wanted to, but we found a way to win. Right now, we need the two points, so we’ll take that.”

The Wild start a two-game trip in Carolina on Thursday night before moving on to New York to face the Islanders on Friday night. The Islanders have reigning first overall draft pick Matthew Schaefer on their blue line.