Wild 2, Capitals 1: Jason Pominville scored a pair of third-period goals, the second coming with 5:32 remaining as red-hot Minnesota rallied to defeat host Washington.

Pominville's blast following a giveaway by Capitals defenseman Mike Green sent the Wild to their fourth consecutive victory and 17th in the last 22 games. Zach Parise notched a pair of assists while Devan Dubnyk made 24 saves to improve to 17-3-1 since being acquired from Arizona as Minnesota moved one point ahead of Winnipeg for the first wild card in the Western Conference.

Curtis Glencross's first goal in a Washington uniform provided the lone offense for a Capitals team that had to deal with the surprise absence of captain Alex Ovechkin. The Russian superstar, who began the day leading the NHL with 43 goals and 67 points, was ruled out just prior to game time with a lower-body injury.

Glencross struck during a power play 2:51 into the contest, beating a defender to the outside before cutting toward the net and snapping a shot from the left faceoff dot that beat Dubnyk over his left shoulder. The second period was a mostly listless affair highlighted by Washington's Marcus Johansson ringing a shot off the left post late in the session.

Johansson had another opportunity to extend the Capitals' lead early in the third, but his shot caromed off the crossbar. The Wild finally drew even near the midway point of the period as Pominville banged a loose puck past Braden Holtby (28 saves) following extended pressure in the offensive zone.

GAME NOTEBOOK: The Capitals remained one point behind Pittsburgh for third place in the Metropolitan Division. ... Thursday's game was the first missed by Ovechkin this season. ... Washington has scored a power-play goal in three straight games and has 10 man-advantage tallies in its last 10 contests. ... Pominville's two-goal effort was his first since April 8, 2014.