Matt Boldy scored the go-ahead goal with just over 15 minutes remaining, Connor Dewar, Joel Eriksson Ek and Ryan Hartman also scored and the visiting Minnesota Wild extended their winning streak to a season-high six games with a 4–1 victory Wednesday, Dec. 21, over the Anaheim Ducks.
Marc-Andre Fleury made 21 saves in his 22nd career victory over the Ducks as Minnesota won the opener of a three-game trip. The Wild earned their 13th consecutive victory over the Ducks.
Mason McTavish scored a goal for the Ducks, while Lukas Dostal made 38 saves in his fourth consecutive start and sixth appearance on the season. Anaheim’s top goaltenders, John Gibson and Anthony Stolarz, are close to returning from injuries.
The Wild didn’t lead until Boldy scored his 12th of the season at 4:46 of the third period. The Ducks had multiple prime scoring chances fail on their end before Boldy ripped a shot from the right circle and off the webbing of Dostal’s glove into the top of the goal.
Eriksson Ek made it a 3–1 lead with a power-play goal at 8:54 of the third period, his 11th of the season, on a deflection off a shot by Calen Addison. Hartman scored his second of the season into an empty net with just under two minutes remaining.
McTavish, the Ducks’ 19-year-old forward, gave his team a 1–0 lead at 5:48 of the second period when he stole a pass at his own blue line and skated up the center of the ice before scoring between the pads of Fleury for his fifth of the season.
The Wild got even at 16:03 of the second period when Dewar’s shot from the left point found its way through traffic and rebounded off Dostal and into the goal. It was the fifth of the season for Dewar.
The Wild swept the season series with their third victory over the Ducks. Minnesota earned a 5–4 shootout victory on home ice on Dec. 3 and won 4–1 in Anaheim on Nov. 9.
