Wild gives up late goal in regulation, loses late in overtime to Ottawa

OTTAWA – Mika Zibanejad finally got one by Wild defenseman Jared Spurgeon.

In a magnificently gritty display that teammate Ryan Carter said had "19 guys standing up cheering and hollering," the smallest guy on the ice threw his body in front of four shots on a late Ottawa Senators power play, including three slapshots in a row by Zibanejad.

The crowd at Canadian Tire Centre even voiced its appreciation as Spurgeon hobbled temporarily down the tunnel after the final puck nailed him low. But Spurgeon returned, and with the Wild eight seconds from winning, Zibanejad found a rebound and forced overtime in an eventual 3-2 Senators victory.

"We played a great 59 minutes and 50 seconds," coach John Torchetti said. "We let up for nine seconds. … We battled hard. Should have won 2-1."

But in overtime, after the Wild killed off a second Mikko Koivu tripping penalty in an 8 ½-minute span, the game turned into a 4-on-4 instead of a 3-on-3 and Erik Karlsson, the NHL's top-scoring defenseman, beat Devan Dubnyk with a sizzling shot from atop the right circle with 31 seconds left to send the Wild off with a painful defeat.

Yes, the Wild gained a one-point edge on Colorado for the eighth and final Western Conference playoff spot, but the Wild knows it should have gotten two points after holding the Senators to a single shot until that final minute of the third.

"You've got to find a way to win those," Spurgeon said.

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With goalie Craig Anderson pulled for an extra attacker, Karlsson took a shot that missed the target and hit the end boards dasher. The puck hopped crazily back into the slot where Michael Stone put the puck right back on net past Spurgeon and Koivu. Zibanejad buried it.

"We've got to do a better job on collapsing on that play," Torchetti said.

In overtime, Charlie Coyle turned the puck over at the offensive blue line before the final rush.

"I can't have that there. I've got to get it deep," Coyle said.

Nino Niederreiter gave the Wild a 1-0 lead with his 16th goal 93 seconds into the game, but the Wild went the final 12 ½ minutes of the first period without a shot.

The Wild, which had scored a power-play goal in 13 consecutive road games, then wasted three in a row in the second period — two with a chance to extend its lead to two and one with a chance to regain its lead after Mike Hoffman tied the score after a faceoff win by Zibanejad.

The power play was a disaster, registering two shots. Wild players almost seemed to have holes in their sticks as even leaders Koivu, Thomas Vanek, Zach Parise and Ryan Suter couldn't catch or complete a pass. The sloppiness led to shorthanded rushes and no scoring chances.

But the Wild tried to lock it down in the third after Carter gave Minnesota a 2-1 lead 5:14 into the period. Coyle made a great play to clear the zone to the far side of the ice as Carter emerged from the penalty box. Nine seconds later, Mikael Granlund threw a puck at the net that Carter tipped for the go-ahead goal.

The Wild played stingy defense from there and got gutsy performances from players such as Spurgeon, who saved a goal by blocking a Zack Smith shot, then blocked three in a row from Zibanejad.

"You've got to get in the lanes. It just happened to be mine three times," a very sore Spurgeon said.

"You couldn't give a better example of an athlete than what Spurgeon did for us tonight," Torchetti said. "That's team commitment. That's what we need more of. Heart of a lion."

Added Erik Haula, "That's playing for the team with capital letters. That's what it's all about. That's going to be the difference between making it or not making it and wherever we're going to go."