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With the party settling down roughly 15 minutes away in White Bear Lake, the Wild closed out Hockey Day Minnesota in style.
After erasing a couple of deficits on Saturday night at Xcel Energy Center, the Wild completed the comeback with a 3-2 shootout win over the Buffalo Sabres. Mats Zuccarello, Kirill Kaprizov and Freddy Gaudreau all converted in the shootout, while Marc-Andre Fleury made a big save that proved to be the difference.
There’s something about Hockey Day Minnesota that seems to bring out the best in the Wild as they now boast a 14-2-1 record in games played on the annual spectacle.
It was a slow start for the Wild as Sabres winger Jack Quinn made it 1-0 a couple of minutes into the game. The sequence started with a turnover by Jake Middleton, then Quinn turned Connor Dewar into pretzel before wiring a puck into the back of the net.
The deficit didn’t last long as Joel Eriksson Ek cashed in on the power play about a minute later to help the Wild level the score at 1-1. It was essentially a slam dunk for Eriksson Ek on the doorstep as Kirill Kaprizov found him with a spinning pass from below the red line.
Though it looked like the Wild were in store for another track meet with the Sabres, which coach Dean Evason cautioned against before the game, they managed to get back to their game rather quickly from there.
That said, Sabres winger Zemgus Girgensons made it 2-1 midway through the second period after a defensive breakdown in front of Fleury left him unmarked near the crease.
The response from the Wild came a few minutes later this time as Jared Spurgeon hammered home a perfect seam pass from Gaudreau to make it 2-2.
After the Wild managed to tie the game once again, Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin appeared to net a buzzer beater to close out the second period. Upon further review, the officials waved it off, ruling that the puck did not cross the goal line before time expired.
As hard as both teams pushed in the third period, neither the Wild nor the Sabres found the back of the net. It was the same story in overtime, paving the way for a shootout where the Wild emerged victorious.
Shakopee next
After an incredible event in White Bear Lake on Saturday, the annual spectacle that is Hockey Day Minnesota will travel up to Warroad next year.
Then, in 2025, Shakopee will finally get its chance to shine.
That much became official on Saturday shortly before puck drop between the Wild and the Buffalo Sabres.
“Shakopee is honored and thrilled to showcase our charming city at Hockey Day Minnesota 2025,” said Matthew Underwood, who will serve as the chair for Hockey Day Minnesota 2025. “We are thankful to our many partners including the Minnesota Wild, Minnesota Hockey, and Bally Sports North.”
More details, including the date, site location, matchups, and the official schedule will be announced at a later date.
The inception of Hockey Day Minnesota came back in 2007 with Baudette Bay serving as the inaugural host site. It’s designed as a celebration of the sport at every level.
The previous host sites for Hockey Day Minnesota include Baudette Bay (2008), Phalen Park (2009), Hermantown (2010), Moorhead (2011), Minnetonka (2012), Grand Rapids (2013), Elk River (2014), St. Paul (2015), Duluth (2016), Stillwater (2017), St. Cloud (2018), Bemidji (2019), Minneapolis (2020), Guidant John Rose MN Oval (2021), Mankato (2022) and White Bear Lake (2023).
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