Zuccarello Lifts Wild Past Canucks in Overtime Thriller

VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Mats Zuccarello played the hero Saturday night, scoring just 2:47 into overtime to give the Minnesota Wild a dramatic 3-2 win over the Vancouver Canucks and bring them one step closer to securing a playoff spot.

Zuccarello finished off a slick breakaway after a sharp pass from Kirill Kaprizov set him free in the offensive zone. The goal capped a thrilling comeback for the Wild, who trailed 2-0 entering the third period.

With just one game remaining in their regular season, the Wild now sit in the top Western Conference wild-card position, holding a one-point edge over the St. Louis Blues and a five-point cushion over the Calgary Flames. St. Louis has two games left, while Calgary has three.

Minnesota started their rally early in the third, as Brock Faber netted a goal just 22 seconds into the period. Marcus Foligno later tied the game with 6:46 to go, capitalizing on a failed Canucks clearing attempt with help from Ryan Hartman.

Goaltender Filip Gustavsson stopped 12 shots for the Wild, who bounced back after a 4-2 loss to Calgary the night before.

Vancouver struck early with Marcus Pettersson scoring in the first, and Jake DeBrusk adding another in the second. Canucks goalie Kevin Lankinen was solid despite the loss, making 30 saves.

The game also featured a scary moment when Minnesota defenseman Derek Forbort was injured during a fight with Vancouver’s Yakov Trenin early in the third. A Wild player was ejected for delivering a punch while Forbort was down.

What’s Next: The Wild return home to face the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday in their regular-season finale. The Canucks wrap up their schedule with home games against San Jose on Monday and Vegas on Wednesday.