{{pageModel.leagueAbbr}} {{pageModel.subtitle}} | Las Vegas Review-Journal
National Hockey League
Minnesota 5, Nashville 4
When: 8:00 PM ET, Sunday, April 24, 2022
Where: Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, Tennessee
Referees: T.J. Luxmore, Kendrick Nicholson
Linesmen: Michel Cormier, Bevan Mills
Attendance: 17160

Dmitry Kulikov scored the overtime winner just before the buzzer and Joel Eriksson Ek scored twice in a three-point outing to lead the visiting Minnesota Wild to a 5-4 victory over the Nashville Predators on Sunday.

Kevin Fiala and Nick Bjugstad also scored for the Wild (51-21-7, 109 points), who surrendered three leads but survived to extend their winning streak to five games. Goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury made 21 saves.

Filip Forsberg collected his 40th goal of the season in a three-point game, while Matt Duchene, Ryan Johansen and Dante Fabbro scored once for the Predators (44-29-6, 94 points). Nashville holds the Western Conference's first wild-card playoff spot despite a 3-4-2 slump. Goalie David Rittich stopped 42 shots.

Duchene added an assist, and Mikael Granlund recorded three assists for the Predators.

With a shootout looming, Eriksson Ek created a breakaway chance for Kulikov, and he converted with 1.3 seconds left in the overtime for his seventh goal of the season.

A crazy middle frame in which both teams took and blew a lead was kicked off by Eriksson Ek's first of the game during a scramble at the 6:36 mark.

The Predators responded with a pair of power-play goals past the midway point. Duchene notched his 41st of the year by converting a sharp-angled attempt at 10:40 of the period. Johansen tallied his 24th of the season on a rebound at 13:38.

However, the Wild replied with a pair of goals 70 seconds apart just before the break. Eriksson Ek notched his second of the game, and 25th of the season, by one-timing Fiala's slick cross-ice feed with 93 seconds remaining in the period. Fiala added his 33rd by sniping a back-hand shot from the slot with 22.8 seconds remaining in the period.

To no surprise, the back and forth didn't end there. Fabbro netted his third of the season with 5:40 remaining in regulation with a shot that ricocheted into the net off a defender to send the game to overtime.

The clubs traded first-period goals, with Bjugstad's power-play goal at 11:05 opening the scoring. Forsberg only had to tap in a puck on the line with three seconds left on the clock.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Minnesota   Nashville
Joel Eriksson Ek 3 Points Filip Forsberg 3
Joel Eriksson Ek 2 Goals Filip Forsberg 1
Kirill Kaprizov 2 Assists Mikael Granlund 3
Joel Eriksson Ek 1 Power Play Goals Matt Duchene 1
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
Marc-Andre Fleury .840 Save Percentage David Rittich .894
Marc-Andre Fleury 21 Saves David Rittich 42
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Minnesota 47 5 2-7 3-5 10 38
Nashville 25 4 2-5 5-7 14 27
Upcoming Games
  • Nashville will play their next game at home against Calgary. The Predators have a W/L % of .533 after a win and .588 after a loss.
  • Minnesota will play their next game at home against Arizona. The Wild have a W/L % of .694 after a win and .552 after a loss.