29 Jan 2025; Toronto, Ontario, can; Toronto Maple Leafs forward Nick Robertson (89) tries to get past the Minnesota Wild forward Frederick Gaudreau (89) during the third period at the Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-Immagn Pictures While Minnesota Wild continues its season-long success along the way, the Ottawa senators remain a strong outfit at home.
Looking for a fifth straight road victory, the wild goal to prevent the senators from winning their fifth in a row at home Saturday night.
Minnesota is an NHL best 20-5-3 on the road, where it has surpassed the last four opponents 14-4 and has gone 3-0 on a current trip with five games. Quebec native Marc-Andre Fleury stopped all 19 shots he met for his 76th career shutdown in Wild’s 4-0 victory at Montreal on Thursday.
“I think we are playing really connected,” said Wild Coach John Hynes. “It really starts with our work ethics and competitiveness. Then it will pay attention to details.”
Frederick Gaudreau and Marco Rossi each had a goal with an assist against the Canadians, as Vilda won their second straight since the club announced the superstar Kirill Kaprizov would miss at least four weeks due to a lower body injury that requires surgery.
“Every game is big, and in this league you can’t take an evening,” Gaudreau said. “(On Thursday) were all just called and ready to go.”
Although Backup Fleury has a 2.42 goal-against average and one .919 savings percent while he won three of his last five starts, Filip Gustavsson was able to be back in the Minnesota network after stopping 50 out of 53 shots to win them Two first games on this stretch stretch.
Gustavsson made 34 rescues and Gaudreau had a goal during Wild’s 3-1 home loss to the Senators on December 29.
Although Ottawa succeeded with a road win that evening, an important reason is that it is in the playoffs in the eastern conference that 15-7-2 marks at home. Since November 25, the Senators have been 10-2-1 at home, where they are in the middle of a 5-0-1 distance after Thursday’s 5-4 overtime victory against Washington.
Josh Norris and Shane Pinto each had a short-handed goal, while Ridly Greig and Jake Sanderson scored on Power Play for Ottawa, who looks to sweep their four-games home food and Saturday.
“We have shown that we can fight against all teams in this league,” said the senators defender Thomas Chabot, who got the winner on Thursday.
“I think there are some things we look back (on) and want to do better, but at the end of the day two points are two points. You have to focus on it and take the positive on how big a profit it was.”
Norris, who had three points Thursday, and Greig also scored on Minnesota earlier this season. In the meantime, Pinto has four goals and six assists in his last 11 games.
Ottawas Anton Forsberg stopped 31 out of 35 shots against the capitals after allowing a target piece in each of its three previous starts. However, it is possible that Linus Ullmark will return to the senators network for the first time since a back injury on Edmonton on December 22.
At the time of the injury, Ullmark was in the middle of an eight-start stretch where he was 7-0-0 with a 1.08 goal-for average and a .963 savings percentage. Leevi Merilainen (7-3-1, 2.19 GAA), which has stepped up while Ullmark has been out, made 30 rescues at Minnesota in December.
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