Wild rallies, wins in a shootout over San Jose

It was a weird hockey game to say the least. In the third period Thursday night, the Wild was outshooting the San Jose Sharks by double yet somehow losing by two goals.

Then, with fans restless, the Wild climbed back thanks to the playmaking of goal-scorer Thomas Vanek and the goal scoring of … checker Kyle Brodziak.

Of all players, Brodziak, the veteran who was frustrated last season because he generated chance after chance only to routinely blow them, scored two third-period goals off exceptional Vanek setups. They enabled the Wild to rally from two goals down in the third for a second consecutive game to nab a 4-3 shootout victory.

"Incredible passer," said Brodziak of Vanek, who has no goals but a team-high seven assists. "He's got great vision and sees the ice very well. I knew both those ones were going to be on my tape."

It seems like a century ago, but it was only Monday that the Wild let the Rangers rally from 3-0 down in the third. The response? A come-from-behind victory after trailing 3-1 at Boston, and then doing the same thing against San Jose after Joe Thornton converted a 2-on-1 just 97 seconds into the third period.

"We know that's not something we want to be known as, a team that folds in the third," said Jason Zucker, outstanding all game on a line with Mikko Koivu and Charlie Coyle.

The Wild (6-3), which has outshot all nine opponents, outshot the Sharks 46-28 with the Zucker-Koivu-Coyle line combining for 16. Koivu's goal midway through the second cut a 2-0 deficit in half. He also tied a career high with nine shots, won 22 of 28 faceoffs and scored in the shootout on his trademark backhander under the bar.

"Every aspect of his game, I was really impressed with," Wild coach Mike Yeo said.

Darcy Kuemper responded well after allowing five goals in the third to the Rangers. He made 25 saves. Fittingly, after robbing star Patrick Marleau from point-blank range and on a shorthanded breakaway in regulation, Kuemper denied Marleau as San Jose's final shootout shooter to grab the win. One shooter before, Jason Pominville's 22nd career shootout goal was the difference.

The Wild, winner of seven in a row at home over San Jose, did catch two breaks. The Sharks had two goals waved off due to incidental contact on Kuemper, including one with 70 seconds left in OT when Brent Burns thought he scored.

It was still an impressive victory because the Wild recovered from a sloppy, turnover-filled start and also lost defenseman Jared Spurgeon in the third period after he crashed hard into the boards on a check from Joe Pavelski.

The Wild, already without defenseman Jonas Brodin, played the final 16 minutes and overtime with five defensemen. In overtime, Pominville played defense.

"Good teams get through it and we will," Yeo said.

While the Koivu line churned all game, the Parise-Mikael Granlund-Pominville line turned lots of pucks over and the Nino Niederreiter-Brodziak-Vanek was barely heard from. But Yeo loved Justin Fontaine's game, so he elevated him to the Brodziak-Vanek line.

Their first shift together, Brodziak, scratched five consecutive games recently, was the toe in a tic-tac-toe setup between Fontaine and Vanek. Vanek telegraphed a shot but set up a driving Brodziak beautifully.

"Typical Van," Pominville said.

Five minutes later, Vanek led an odd-man rush with Brodziak and sent him a sweet saucer pass from his backhand to tie the score at 3-3 with 9:28 left.