ST. PAUL, Minn. \u2014 Thatcher Demko\u2019s glove sprung a leak in the third period Saturday night, and it led to a huge sigh of relief for a Minnesota Wild team desperate to experience the feeling of victory once again.<\/p>\n
It took until the fifth game of this six-game homestand that ends Tuesday night against Nashville for the Wild to get their first win. For a change, they never trailed, were perfect on the penalty kill and looked dominant on home ice during a 5-2 win over the injury-riddled Vancouver Canucks.<\/p>\n
Not only did the Wild win for the first time in regulation at home, but the victory snapped a five-game winless skid since Oct. 20. It was the Wild\u2019s second win in the past 10 games (2-5-3).<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ve got to fake it \u2018til you make it, so (a) little nervous during the third period (after Vancouver cut the deficit to 4-2),\u201d goalie Filip Gustavsson said. You know, maybe not the goal you want to give up. And we didn\u2019t stop playing after that either. We just kept going even though they got within two again.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Wild improved to 13-2 in their past 15 meetings with the Canucks and handed them an eighth straight loss at Grand Casino Arena.<\/p>\n
Vladimir Tarasenko scored a goal and two assists for his first three-point game with the Wild. Jonas Brodin and Vinnie Hinostroza scored a goal and an assist each, Marco Rossi scored a go-ahead goal in the second period after the Canucks tied the score at 1, Ryan Hartman scored an empty-net goal, Joel Eriksson Ek had two assists and Gustavsson made 26 saves for his third win in 10 starts this season.<\/p>\n
Hinostroza coast to coast pic.twitter.com\/SXuBbVRInF<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) November 2, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cObviously that stretch we went through it\u2019s tough, but this is a new month,\u201d said Hinostroza, who went coast to coast for his first goal of the season and eventual winner. \u201cWe\u2019re 1-0 in this month. If we just stick to it, we can turn this whole thing around. But it\u2019s going to take a lot of hard work and sticking to the plan.\u201d<\/p>\n The Wild extended their lead from 2-1 to 4-1 with two quick goals by Hinostroza and Brodin early in the third. Demko skated right to the bench after Brodin\u2019s and changed gloves.<\/p>\n the smiles say it all \ud83d\ude03 pic.twitter.com\/llV1JqAqOp<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) November 2, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n Tarasenko breaks out<\/p>\n It has been a slow start to Tarasenko\u2019s Wild career, but after entering Saturday\u2019s game with a goal and four assists in 12 games, Tarasenko scored the Wild\u2019s league-leading 15th power-play goal and assisted on goals by Rossi and Brodin.<\/p>\n The power-play goal was filthy, but it came after Eriksson Ek\u2019s even filthier backhanded pass with a bat out of mid-air off the heel of his stick.<\/p>\n Eriksson-Ek bats the puck to Tarasenko who finishes it off in close \ud83d\ude2e\u200d\ud83d\udca8 \u2014 Spittin’ Chiclets (@spittinchiclets) November 2, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t think I ever see anything like that,\u201d Tarasenko said. \u201cBut I\u2019m not gonna lie, it\u2019s nice getting goals, but nicer when team win.\u201d<\/p>\n The Wild hope this is the type of game that can give Tarasenko a jumpstart.<\/p>\n \u201cI think anytime a point-producing player like him can have a game like this and get up and running and more confidence and feeling good about that aspect of the game is always positive,\u201d coach John Hynes said.<\/p>\n PK, faceoffs, physicality strong<\/p>\n The Wild held a players\u2019 only meeting before Friday\u2019s practice to get back on the same page and start playing with a more hard-nosed identity.<\/p>\n Against the Canucks, the Wild\u2019s league-worst penalty kill (which had given goals on five of the previous six opposing power plays) went 3 for 3 in large part because of big blocks by Brodin, Matt Boldy and Rossi and Gustavsson making five saves. They had 26 hits, led by Rossi\u2019s four. They also won 51 percent of their faceoffs (29 of 57), including Rossi scoring off Tarasenko\u2019s rebound after Rossi won a draw clean on the first shift of Hynes juggling his lines by skating Kirill Kaprizov with Eriksson Ek and Boldy and Rossi with Tarasenko and Marcus Johansson.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve been battling the last couple games, maybe didn\u2019t (go) our way,\u201d Rossi said. \u201cBut I think today we played a really good game. Our puck bounces the last couple games wasn\u2019t really on our side. And the puck bounces today was on our side, and I think that makes a huge difference. I think the PK was good, power play was good and five-on-five as well.\u201d<\/p>\n Marco Rossi. 2-1 #mnwild<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/epwpvnrE5u<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Spoked Z (@SpokedZ) November 2, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n Gustavsson stands tall<\/p>\n When a team goes through a bad stretch like this, there\u2019s always going to be more pressure \u2014 and scrutiny \u2014 on the goaltender. And that includes the Wild\u2019s No. 1 Gustavsson, who entered Saturday with just two wins in his first nine starts of the season. But Gustavsson came through in Saturday\u2019s slump-busting win, stopping 26 of 28 shots.<\/p>\n \u201cI thought Gus made some big saves for us,\u201d Hynes said.<\/p>\n Gustavsson admitted there\u2019s a different feeling when you score first and have a lead, which helped Saturday when they led throughout (the Wild have trailed more than any other team other than the Bruins heading into Saturday\u2019s game).<\/p>\n \u201cEven from me, it\u2019s less stressing about the next shot every time,\u201d Gustavsson said. Gustavsson said Drew O\u2019Connor\u2019s goal in the third period, which cut the Wild\u2019s lead to 4-2, was \u201cnot the goal you want to give up,\u201d but he closed it out from there.<\/p>\n This was an encouraging performance by Gustavsson. If the Wild are going to emerge from this slide, they\u2019ll need better goaltending overall from Gustavsson and Jesper Wallstedt. Coming into the game, the Wild\u2019s goals saved above expected by the duo was combined -4.99, with their opponents 11.11. Their opponents\u2019 save percentage was .931, to the Wild\u2019s .880.<\/p>\n He gave up a first-period tying goal to O\u2019Connor with a juicy rebound he said he should have controlled better, but rookie Zeev Buium\u2019s bad pass to Tarasenko was turned over, and then Buium didn\u2019t sort things out on the backcheck and left O\u2019Connor wide open.<\/p>\n \ud83d\udea8CANUCKS GOAL\ud83d\udea8<\/p>\n Drew O’Connor scores his first goal of the season and MacKenzie MacEachern pick up his first point as a Vancouver Canuck! <\/p>\n \ud83c\udfa5: Sportsnet | #Canucks<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/8dcTHhIbpc<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 CanucksArmy (@CanucksArmy) November 2, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n Zuccarello\u2019s return getting closer<\/p>\n Mats Zuccarello, who reported to camp hurt and subsequently underwent surgery, is closing in on a return. He continues to practice daily and coach John Hynes said Friday his return could come \u201cin a week or so.\u201d<\/p>\n Hynes didn\u2019t want to commit to Zuccarello returning this week because he\u2019s on a strict timeline, but Zuccarello is clearly getting anxious to return.<\/p>\n His loss has been felt everywhere. First, he\u2019s not on the No. 1 power-play unit. Second, he has uncanny chemistry with Kirill Kaprizov and can make plays offensively that others can\u2019t. Third, there will be a trickle-down effect to get players in more appropriate sports in the lineup. Fourth, in tough times, like the Wild have had this year, he\u2019s a respected and willing voice in the locker room.<\/p>\n Mats Zuccarello getting closer. Hynes said yesterday the veteran winger is a \u201cweek or so\u201d away. #mnwild<\/a>. pic.twitter.com\/NuZZQUi6Xv<\/a><\/p>\n
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