ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Minnesota Wild finally have their first winning streak of the season, but it was no easy feat.

They had to overcome a pesky push by the Nashville Predators to outlast them 3-2 in overtime Tuesday night at Grand Casino Arena at the end of a lackluster season-long homestand.

Before these two victories, the Wild dropped four in a row in St. Paul and five straight overall.

After a buzzer-beater by Nashville’s Steven Stamkos, a one-timer with two-tenths of a second left on the clock in the third period, Marcus Johanson scored 3 minutes, 38 seconds into 3-on-3 overtime on a bizarre play.

Predators goalie Justus Annunen knocked the net ajar with his left pad, but Johansson kept playing, first hitting the net with the rebound of a Kirill Kaprizov shot, then flipping the puck over the goal line and into the space vacated by the net.

The officials called it a good goal, and the replay officials in Toronto agreed.

This stopped a Nashville comeback that had been in the works most of the night.

The Predators, who lost the night before at home in overtime to the Vancouver Canucks, outshot the Wild 14-4 in the second, taking over after falling behind on a Kaprizov power play goal from the first period.

How it happened

Although the Wild had the edge in rest, not playing since their 5-2 win over Vancouver on Saturday, they weren’t skating circles around the Predators.

Far from it, actually.

They only escaped the first period ahead because Kaprizov weaved a wide-open shot through traffic on the power play at 10:44 for his eighth goal of the season on the Wild’s second of three total power plays. Nashville, meanwhile, hit two posts.

But the Predators were more accurate in the second.

They tested Wild goalie Filip Gustavsson often, including on two power plays. Their best look, however, was a 2-on-0 break after Tyler Pitlick failed to get the puck out of the Wild’s zone. The Predators went the other way, with Michael McCarron setting up former Gopher Matthew Wood for the tap-in at 5:16.

The Wild were under siege after the tying goal and at one point were stuck in their zone while the Predators played a lengthy game of keep-away; they even executed a line change while maintaining possession.

Nashville had another uncontested look alone in front of Gustavsson but whiffed on the shot.

When the Wild’s Vladimir Tarasenko finally got a hold of the puck and flung it down the ice for a reprieve, the crowd responded with a Bronx cheer.

But the Predators not producing more offense from their pressure hurt them because when the Wild got a break from defending on the power play, they took advantage: rookie defenseman Zeev Buium deflected in a Brock Faber shot at 16:01 for his third goal.

Turning point

With Annunen on the bench for an extra attacker, the Predators’ Ryan O’Reilly knocked Matt Boldy off the puck as Boldy vied for an empty-net goal in Nashville territory.

After a Wild icing, the Predators won the faceoff and Stamkos connected on his third attempt of the shift after his first two tries were blocked and missed the net.

Annunen made 22 saves, while Gustavsson finished with 32.

Key stat

Of the Wild’s 39 goals, nearly half (17) have come on the power play.

What it means

While the result matters most, the process suggests the Wild are still off.

Despite a big win their last time out and going up against a similarly beleaguered Predators team, the Wild weren’t a mismatch. In fact, Nashville had them on guard throughout the night.

Give credit to Gustavsson – and the post – for fending off the threat, and the Wild were fortunate their power play delivered enough offense to prevail.

Up next

The Wild start a two-game trip in Carolina on Thursday before moving on to New York to face the Islanders, who have reigning first overall draft pick Matthew Schaefer on their blue line.

Schaefer, 18, is off to a dynamic start, with five goals and six assists.

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