ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Kevin Fiala and Frederick Gaudreau scored in the shootout as the short-handed Minnesota Wild took advantage of a Washington Capitals own-goal in a 3-2 win on Saturday night.
Kaapo Kahkonen made 29 saves and stopped two attempts in the shootout for Minnesota, which put the game into overtime with a goal from Mats Zuccarello with 34.7 seconds left in regulation.
Rookie Zach Fucale made 21 saves for Washington and set an NHL record for the longest shutout streak to open a career at 138 minutes, 7 seconds. Zuccarello snapped the streak.
The Wild wouldn’t have been in position if the Capitals didn’t put the puck in their own net. Playing out a delayed penalty, Washington forward Carl Hagelin had a pass go between two teammates and slide all the way into the empty net on the other side of the ice with Fucale on the bench.
Marcus Foligno was given credit for the Wild goal after being the last Minnesota player to touch the puck before Hagelin’s missed pass. It was Foligno’s 100th career goal.
Connor McMichael and Evgeny Kuznetsov scored for the Capitals before the miscue put Minnesota on the board.
The Wild were down nine regular starters due to COVID-19 and injuries.
Fucale, a second-round draft pick in 2013 by Montreal, earned his second career start after relieving No. 1 netminder Ilya Samsonov in the 5-1 loss at St. Louis a night earlier. Samsonov had allowed four goals on 16 shots and Fucale stopped all seven shots he faced in his second career game.
He opened his career with a 21-save shutout at Detroit on Nov. 11.
Fucale stopped nine shots in an even first period between the teams and then set the NHL record for shutout streak to open his career three minutes into the second. Fucale surpassed Minnesota’s Matt Hackett, who held the previous record at 102:48 in 2011.
McMichael, a healthy scratch at St. Louis, opened the scoring 2:41 into the second with his fifth goal of the season. He deflected Nick Jensen’s quick shot from the point on the short side of the net past Kahkonen.
Kuznetsov gave Washington a 2-0 lead three seconds into the first of four second-period power plays. Lars Eller won the faceoff in the Wild zone and Alex Ovechkin sent the puck over to Kuznetsov for a quick one-timer.
Kuznetsov has three goals in his past five games.
INJURIES GALORE
Wild defenseman Alex Goligoski was added to the COVID-19 protocols earlier Saturday, the latest blow to Minnesota’s lineup. Goligoski is one of three players in the protocols, joining Jordan Greenway and Brandon Duhaime.
Kirill Kaprizov and Joel Eriksson Ek (upper-body injury) were placed on injured reserve. Kaprizov sustained an upper-body injury at Boston on Thursday. Nick Bjugstad (upper body), Jonas Brodin (upper body) were scratched, as was top goaltender Cam Talbot (lower body). Captain Jared Spurgeon is on injured reserve with a lower-body injury.
The Wild recalled forwards Victor Rask and Kyle Rau and defenseman Dakota Mermis from the taxi squad prior to the game.
UP NEXT
Capitals: Return home for one game against Boston on Monday night.
Wild: Host Anaheim on Friday night.
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