Kirill Kaprizov scored a power play goal 44 seconds into overtime on Thursday to give the Minnesota Wild a 3-2 victory over the visiting Calgary Flames.
With the victory, the Wild take over sole possession of second place in the Central Division. Minnesota leads St. Louis by two points with each team having one game remaining on Friday. If the Wild pick up any points in their game against Colorado or if the Blues lose at home to Vegas, Minnesota will have home-ice advantage in its first-round playoff series against St. Louis.
Jonas Brodin and Frederick Gaudreau also scored for Minnesota. Cam Talbot, starting in net for the first time in a week, stopped 31 of 33 shots.
Minnesota’s 27th-ranked penalty kill unit held the Flames scoreless in four power plays, while the Wild converted both of their opportunities with the extra skater, including a 4-on-3 in overtime. Calgary’s Rasmus Andersson was called for covering the puck with his hand. Minnesota won the ensuing faceoff, and 10 seconds later, Kaprizov scored his 46th of the season on a one-timer off a pass from Kevin Fiala.
Frederick Gaudreau broke a 1-1 tie with an unassisted goal at 11:59 of the third period to give Minnesota a late lead. Gaudreau scooped up a Calgary turnover in the left faceoff circle and beat Markstrom with a quick wrist shot.
WATCH l Wild down Flames in overtime:
A power play goal by Kirill Kaprizov in overtime was the difference as Minnesota defeated Calgary 3-2 Thursday night. 0:41
However, Zadorov tied it with 2:56 to play, burying a wrist shot from between the faceoff circles.
Johnny Gaudreau got the scoring started three minutes into the second period. Matthew Tkachuck centred the puck from the corner and found Gaudreau at the edge of the crease. Gaudreau flipped the puck over Talbot to reach 40 goals on the season for the first time in his career.
Brodin tied it three minutes later on the power play. He took a pass at the centre point from Frederick Gaudreau and fired a low slap shot that slipped past Markstrom, who was screened by Marcus Foligno.
Senators blanked by Panthers
Ottawa Senators fans went home empty-handed after the final home game of the season as the Florida Panthers beat the home team 4-0 Thursday night.
The loss snapped Ottawa’s ( 32-42-7) four-game winning streak.
Carter Verhaeghe led the Panthers (58-17-6) with a pair of goals, while Sam Reinhart and Sam Bennett also scored. Spencer Knight picked up his second career shutout stopping 27 shots.
With the top seed in the Eastern Conference already locked up, the Panthers rested a few of its starters including Jonathan Huberdeau, Aleksander Barkov, Claude Giroux, MacKenzie Weegar and Gustav Forsling.
Florida held a 1-0 lead to open the third, but thanks to a pair of goals scored 21 seconds apart, they led 3-0 by the two-minute mark of the third.
WATCH l Verhaeghe scores twice as Panthers snap Senators’ 4-game winning streak:
Carter Verhaeghe scores twice as Florida ended Ottawa’s season on home ice with a 4-0 shutout. 1:31
Bennett was able to jump on an Anthony Duclair rebound out front to make it 2-0 and moments later Eetu Luostarinen found Verhaeghe who roofed it over a sprawled Gustavsson.
Verhaeghe scored his second of the night midway through the period for his 24th of the season.
Florida kept coming, but Gustavsson was solid making a big save on Verhaeghe. At the other end of the ice, Knight was holding his own stopping Auston Watson on a great chance.
Bennett grabbed the puck from Drake Batherson at the goal line and passed it to Reinhart, who scored his 33rd of the season from the hashmarks to give the Panthers a 1-0 lead in the first.
Ottawa wraps up its season Friday against Philadelphia, while the Panthers close out the season in Montreal.