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Wild beat Devils on goal in final seconds of OT

Minnesota, amid a 7-0-2 stretch on the road, has won the last five meetings between the teams.

NHL: Minnesota Wild at San Jose Sharks
Minnesota Wild left wing Matt Boldy reacts after a goal by left wing Marcus Johansson on March 11 against the San Jose Sharks in San Jose. Boldy scored the game-winner against the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday, March 21, 2023 in New Jersey.
Darren Yamashita / USA Today Sports

Matt Boldy scored with two seconds left in overtime and Filip Gustavsson made a career-high 47 saves as the visiting Minnesota Wild beat the New Jersey Devils 2-1 in Newark, N.J., on Tuesday night.

After the Devils' Jack Hughes hit the post in the waning seconds of overtime, the puck caromed off the far board and onto the stick of Boldy, who broke free, then flipped a back-hander past Vitek Vanecek (27 saves).

Mason Shaw also scored and Gustavsson kept his team in the game all night as the Wild (41-22-8, 90 points), in the mix for the Central Division title, improved to 13-1-3 in their last 17 games.

Timo Meier scored for the Devils (45-18-8, 98 points), who are in the mix for first place in the Metropolitan Division, but mired in a 1-2-2 stretch.

With the game scoreless after two periods, Minnesota got on the board first. Shaw got enough of the puck to knock it in off the stick of New Jersey's Ondrej Palat and through Vanecek at 6:41 of the third.

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However, with 7:52 remaining in regulation, the Devils answered. Meier's wraparound clipped the left skate of Gustavsson and in for his 35th goal of the season and his fourth in 10 games since joining New Jersey from San Jose.

The first two periods between two of the NHL's best defensive teams, each allowing an average of 2.67 goals per game beginning the night, featured plenty of tight checking and physical play.

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The Devils' Jesper Bratt had two quality looks at the net in the final 5:30 of the second period, but Gustavsson was up to the task. He also stopped quality chances from Meier and Hughes later in the middle frame.

Meanwhile, Vanecek also found himself busy in the second period, facing 11 shots from the Wild. He made a key stop on a snapshot from ex-Devil Marcus Johansson with a little more than one minute to play in the second.

Minnesota, amid a 7-0-2 stretch on the road, has won the last five meetings between the teams.

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