ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Matt Boldy had the go-ahead goal and an assist in the second period for the Minnesota Wild in a 4-2 victory over the Washington Capitals on Thursday night.
Frederick Gaudreau had two goals, Jon Merrill scored and Filip Gustavsson made 28 saves for the Wild, the only NHL team this season that hasn't lost (28-0) when leading after two periods.
Matt Roy and Brandon Duhaime scored for the league-leading Capitals, who lost their second straight after a 9-1 stretch.
Alex Ovechkin had a third-period breakaway thwarted by Wild defenseman Jonas Brodin and stayed at 889 career goals. He needs six to pass Wayne Gretzky on the NHL's career list with 10 regular-season games remaining.
Minnesota got a big boost for its playoff push, having entered the game with a five-point cushion above the cut for the last West wild-card spot.
Takeaways
Capitals: The first team to clinch a playoff spot is well on the way to securing the No. 1 seed in the East, with a 13-point lead entering the night. Backup goalie Charlie Lindgren, who got the start in his home state, stopped 17 shots.
Wild: The NHL's fourth-lowest scoring team has struggled with star Kirill Kaprizov sidelined for two months and counting and top center Joel Eriksson Ek out a month-plus. Kaprizov and Eriksson Ek resumed skating in the morning but are still at least a week away.
Key moment
Boldy, whose power-play shot was tipped in by Gaudreau earlier, put the Wild up with 9 seconds remaining before the second intermission. He made a one-handed drag of a loose puck from behind the goal line into the crease so he could tap it in for his 24th goal.
After the game, Ovechkin organized a handshake line for retiring Wild goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, who's been in the league since the 2003-2004 season.
Key stat
Minnesota is 7-0-1 in the last eight matchups with Washington, including a shootout win on Jan. 2.
Up next
Washington hosts Buffalo on Sunday. Minnesota hosts New Jersey on Saturday.
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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/NHL
Dave Campbell, The Associated Press
