Brandon Saad's overtime goal gives Blues a 5-4 victory over Wild

Sat, Mar 23, 2024
NHL News (AP)

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) - Jordan Kyrou scored a hat trick and Brandon Saad tallied 2:05 into overtime to give the St. Louis Blues a 5-4 victory over the Minnesota Wild on Saturday.

Jake Neighbours also scored for the Blues, who are 6-1 in their last seven games. Pavel Buchnevich had three assists and Jordan Binnington made 30 saves.

Marco Rossi scored twice for the Wild. Marcus Johansson and Brock Faber also had goals for Minnesota, while Marc-Andre Fleury had 22 saves.

The Blues and Wild trail Vegas in the race for the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference. The win was the second straight for St. Louis. The Wild fell to 6-2-2 in their last 10 as they opened a six-game homestand that could decide their playoff fate.

In the extra period, Rossi almost completed his hat trick but Binnington got an arm on his attempt. Then on the other end, Saad broke free with the puck and beat Fleury with a wrister in front.

The Blues trailed 3-2 starting the third period, but Kyrou tied it with his second of the game, a 40-foot wrist shot that beat a screened Fleury.

Kyrou then gave the Blues the lead midway through the third, completing his hat trick with a clean wrister over Fleury's shoulder.

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Faber tied it up 4-4, pouncing on a rebound with 5:09 to play to force overtime.

Rossi made it 2-1 Wild midway through the second period. Just over a minute later, the Wild had trouble clearing their zone, and Buchnevich found Kyrou at the left post for a redirect past Fleury to tie it 2-2.

Minnesota regained the lead with five minutes left in the second when Mats Zuccarello's centering pass deflected off Rossi's skate for his second of the game and 20th of the season.

Blues defenseman Nick Leddy played in his 1,000th career game on Saturday. Leddy went to high school in suburban Eden Prairie, Minn., and played for the University of Minnesota before the Wild selected him in the first round of the 2009 NHL Draft.

UP NEXT

Blues: Host Vegas on Monday.

Wild: Host San Jose on Thursday.

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