ST. PAUL, Minn. — Marcus Foligno got the last laugh.
In a game in which the Wild’s giant ball of energy twice had his wires cross because he felt the Blackhawks’ Connor Murphy got away with high-sticking him, then later cross-checking him into the end boards, Foligno blocked a Murphy shot that moments later would end with Ryan Hartman’s sliding home the winning goal with 71 seconds left.
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Foligno skated to the bench as Mats Zuccarello head-manned the puck up ice. He had to look at the center-ice video screen to learn it was Murphy who also didn’t know Hartman was behind him when he tried to intercept Zuccarello’s pass. Murphy turned right into Hartman, lost the puck and couldn’t stop Hartman’s momentum as the Wild winger ultimately outwaited old Wild teammate Alex Stalock, for a breakaway goal before Freddy Gaudreau’s empty-netter lifted the Wild to a late 3-1 win.
The Wild moved into the top spot at the end of an entire night’s action for the first time since Dec. 28, 2021.
RYAN FREAKING HARTMAN!!! pic.twitter.com/1uVsb8FYP3
— Bally Sports North (@BallySportsNOR) March 25, 2023
“It was great seeing the replay and seeing it was (Murphy). That was nice,” Foligno said. “On our end, just a little bit lackadaisical with the physical play. I think we needed to show them that that’s more our game and I just felt like I got cross-checked from behind in a little dangerous spot (earlier in the third). I looked behind me and I don’t even know if it was (Murphy), but he was the closest one to me.
“So he’s the first one I was gonna retaliate on, but happy Hartzy got him back for me.”
Foligno cross-checked Murphy twice, then grabbed Murphy by the chin and stood over him before Jarred Tinordi interceded. Foligno’s lucky the refs evened the penalties up for coincidental minors, but Foligno felt the sequence awoke the Wild from a two-period, sleepy performance disconcertingly after Thursday’s sloppy shootout loss in Philadelphia.
Connor Murphy gets cross-checked by Marcus Foligno, and he somehow gets hit with an embellishment penalty.
Foligno didn't like the initial cross-check by Murphy, which prompted the retaliation. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/ITcqNuUWxa
— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) March 25, 2023
“(Murphy) plays hard,” Foligno said of former NHLer Gord Murphy’s son. “Guys like that bring you into the game and I thought after that — we should have done it in the first period – but I felt it just got the blood flowing a little bit more.”
Why were these last two games such shoddy efforts against teams in the Connor Bedard running?
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“There’s no excuses, but it has been a bit of a grind with the schedule,” Foligno said of a Wild team that’s an NHL-best 14-1-4 in its past 19 games and 5-1-2 without star Kirill Kaprizov. “I don’t think that we’re exhausted in here. But the stretch we’ve been on since Kirill’s missing, I think we’ve been playing some really, really good hockey, some hard hockey, a lot of overtime and shootout games and we liked our game for the most part just staying with it.
“It was not cute and not pretty and not flashy. But I think it’s a good sign of when you don’t have it, the things that we did we stuck with and we ended up breaking at the end. I think that right now it’s just a little bit of a mental fog, but I think it’s something we can get over with and we obviously know we have a way better team coming Monday.”
The Wild rank fourth in the NHL against non-playoff opponents (27-7-6, .750). They’re 15-15-3 (14th in the NHL) against teams currently in a playoff spot and face five in a row starting Monday against Seattle, a team the Wild could meet in the first round if they win the division.
The Wild are well on their way to making the playoffs for the 10th time in 11 seasons. The Wild have 93 points with nine games left. Ninth-place Nashville, which has 80 points with 11 games left, is on pace for 92.3 points.
But of the two teams the Wild are challenging for the top spot in the Central — Dallas and Colorado, Minnesota has the tougher of the three schedules.
The Stars have 92 points, nine games left (four home and five away) and only two left against playoff teams. The Avalanche, who have 90 points, have 11 games left (four home and seven away) and five games left against playoff teams.
Six of the Wild’s final nine games are against playoff teams.
Hartman more excited for brother
Hartman, a 2013 Blackhawks first-round pick, was more excited Saturday night for his 21-year-old brother, Tanner, who plays for Hobart College and advanced to the NCAA Division III championship Sunday in Beverly, Mass., against Adrian College.
“Hopefully this is a good omen (for Tanner),” Hartman said after his late winning goal. “I was going to shoot high glove and I decided not to last second. I almost even faked myself out.”
Hartman, always honest, still wasn’t overjoyed with his game against the Blackhawks.
“Personally I think Philly was one of (or) at least my worst game of the year and I think to be honest I followed it up with my second worst,” Hartman said. “Obviously the ending was great so I’m not going to dwell on it too long, but I’d like to get going a little bit more here.”
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Coach Dean Evason said Hartman is being too hard on himself.
“Are they not as good a line because Kirill Kaprizov isn’t on it? Yes,” Evason said, sarcastically. “They’re playing sound. They’re still playing good defensively. Moose has been real good, physical. … They’re still getting looks, not as many as Hartzy and Zuccy would get with Kirill, but they’re still playing the game the right way and we still don’t want them to do anything outside of what we do and not cheating and all that kind of stuff and not getting frustrated because they’re not scoring as much as they maybe would have with Kirill. They’re going about their business.”
Smelling salts almost take down Ryan Reaves
Ryan Reaves scored his fourth goal in seven games in the second period and then almost keeled over at the start of the third when he did his customary inhaling of smelling salts.
Ryan Reaves takes a sniff of Smelling Salts and proceeds to have a bad time 😂 #mnwild pic.twitter.com/McwPC8hi92
— Brett Marshall 🌲 (@B_Marsh92) March 25, 2023
“Honestly I almost puked twice,” Reaves said. “That was the strongest one I think I’ve ever had. I’m going to be taking it a little easier next time. I think it was a fresh box. That was nuts. I’ve got a headache from it still. No fun.”
ELITE GOAL SCORER RYAN REAVES. 1-0 MIN. pic.twitter.com/SAvmBFLf0N
— Hockey Wilderness (@hockeywildernes) March 25, 2023
Filip Gustavsson wins again
Since Feb. 9, Filip Gustavsson, who made 22 saves, is 8-1-4 with a league-best 1.55 goals-against average and league-best .946 save percentage.
He’s excited about the tough schedule ahead.
“The New Jersey game we played against a really good team,” he said of Tuesday’s career-high 47-save win. “It’s weird. It’s like we play a little better against better teams. So, I think we should be fine on Monday against Seattle. I think we’re going to be back in our groove and the right mindset.
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“I feel like I’ve played good. (Some) of my best hockey probably (as of) late. It’s fun to play in front of this team. It feels like they help with my weaknesses a little bit. Give up some rebounds, they’re always there. They steer the guys to the right angles for me. It’s fun to play in front of them.”
Other thoughts
The Wild, believed to be a finalist for college free agent Jason Polin, has a recruitment call with the Western Michigan forward Sunday. Polin, 23, had five hat tricks during his senior season as captain and leads the nation with an NCHC single-season-record 30 goals. He finished with 47 points and was the first Broncos player to ever win NCHC player of the year and forward of the year. He was also named a Hobey Baker finalist. …
Calen Addison played for injured John Klingberg, who missed his second game with an upper-body injury. Evason said Klingberg is expected to skate Monday but likely not play against the Kraken. …
With St. Cloud State’s season over, Wild prospect Jack Peart is expected to return to school in the fall rather than be signed.
(Top photo of Ryan Hartman: Bruce Fedyck / USA Today)
