Kirill Kaprizov scored a minute in overtime, Joel Eriksson Ek netted four goals and Minnesota Wild fled with an 8-7 victory over San Jose Sharks on Wednesday evening in Saint Paul, Minn.
Both players celebrated remarkable returns from long-term absence of lower bodily injury for Minnesota (43-29-7, 93 points), which won their second match in a row. Kaprizov finished with two goals and one assist in his first game since January 26.
Eriksson Ek, who shows up in his first game since February 22, produced the second game with four plus goals in wild history. Marian Gaborik logged five goals against the New York Rangers on December 20, 2007.
Minnesota’s Matt Boldy recorded four assists.
Rookie Macklin Celebrini noted his first hat trick and counted two assists for San Jose (20-47-11, 51 points), which lost his seventh match in a row (0-5-2). Will Smith had a goal and three assists for the sharks.
Wild goalkeeper Marc-Andre Fleury got his 574th career victory despite allowing seven goals on 31 shots. The competition probably marked the last regular season start at Home Ice for Fleury, who has said this is his last campaign.
Sharks goalkeeper Alexandar Georgiev took the overtime loss after giving up eight goals on 44 shots.
Minnesota led 7-6 at the last minute of regulation before the sharks did to force overtime. San Jose pulled his goalkeeper for an extra attacker, and Smith struck a wrist shot from the top of the right circle to make it 7-7 with 52 seconds left.
Smith’s goal marked the third in a row for San Jose, who beat 7-4 early in the third period. Nikolai Kovalenko trimmed the deficit to two when he did 15:16 to go, and Celebrini brought the sharks within 7-6 when he finished his hat trick with 9:58 left.
The point was tied at 2-all when Eriksson Ek scored his first goal in the game with 12:13 to go in the middle frame.
The sharks gathered to take a 4-3 lead after back-to-back goal by Carl Grundström and Celebrini halfway through the other.
Kaprizov band The score of 4-all on a Power-Play goal with 2:58 left in the other. Then Eriksson Ek Ek with three goals in a row-a Power-play-tally at the last minute of the second period, another Power-play marker 1:02 into the third period and finally a steady strength of 2:06 of the third.
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