ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Wild will be idle for the next eight days, but they should have some momentum waiting for them when they're back in action.
They've won two in a row after ditching a three-game skid, their 3-2 comeback in a shootout against the Sabres on Saturday in front of 19,212 at Xcel Energy Center lifting them to a 27-17-4 record going into their bye week and the All-Star break.
This result, which snapped Buffalo's five-game win streak, also elevated the Wild to third place in the Central Division with 58 points, one more than the reigning Stanley Cup champion Avalanche.
Mats Zuccarello, Kirill Kaprizov and Frederick Gaudreau capitalized in the shootout, while goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury denied one of the two Sabres players he faced.
Kaprizov improved to 5 for 6 in the shootout this season, while picking up his third game-deciding tally.
Before then, the Sabres had an apparent buzzer-beater at the end of the second period called back to set up a make-or-break ending after the Wild rallied twice.
Jack Quinn converted on Buffalo's second shot only 2:22 into the first period when he intercepted a Wild clearing attempt and shrugged off pressure en route to the slot where he wired the puck by Fleury to cap off an impressive individual effort.
But the Wild responded just 1:13 later on the power play.
Joel Eriksson Ek dumped a Kaprizov handoff by Sabres goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen before he could reset in the crease. The goal was Eriksson Ek's 18th and eighth on the power play, which is the second most on the team; Eriksson Ek hasn't gone more than a game without a point over the Wild's past 13 contests, racking up 13 points in that span.
Kaprizov's assist extended his point streak to five (seven points). As for the Wild power play, which finished 1 for 4, they've tallied a goal in five consecutive games to match their longest streak of the season. The Wild penalty kill went 1 for 1.
That tie held until the second when Buffalo reclaimed the lead at 9:50 on a Zemgus Girgensons tap-in but like before, the Wild had a replay.
This time, captain Jared Spurgeon served up the equalizer, his one-timer off a Frederick Gaudreau pass eluding Luukkonen at 12:39. Not only was that Spurgeon's fourth goal in the last six games, but it tied him with Ryan Suter for the fourth-most points in franchise history at 369; the two are now also tied for the most points all-time by a Wild defenseman.
The Sabres put the next puck in the net, a floater by Rasmus Dahlin, who had five points the last time these two teams faced off on Jan. 7 when Buffalo prevailed 6-5 in overtime. But video review determined the second period had expired before the puck crossed the goal line.
Fleury, who was making a third straight start for the first time since Dec. 4-9, ended up posting 29 saves after backstopping the Wild to a 3-2 overtime win against the Flyers on Thursday. His next appearance will tie him with Terry Sawchuk for the fourth-most games in NHL history among goalies (971).
Luukkonen totaled 33 stops.
The Wild's schedule will resume Feb. 6 at Arizona, the first of two road games vs. Central Division opponents (at Dallas on Feb. 8).
