Wild's 12-game point streak ends with rough third period in 4-1 loss to Flames

Sarah McLellan, The Minnesota Star Tribune on Dec 5, 2025

Published in Hockey

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CALGARY, Alberta — The Minnesota Wild keep finding themselves in tight games, but they’re not all flattering.

After blowing the chance to run up the score during four first-period power plays, including a four-minute look, the Wild were dumped 4-1 by the Calgary Flames on Thursday night at Scotiabank Saddledome to end their 12-game point streak.

This was the Wild’s first regulation loss in nearly a month: They last went pointless Nov. 6 at Carolina when they fell 4-3.

Calgary ran away in the third period, scoring three times beginning with Matt Coronato’s 1-1 tiebreaker after he got loose behind the Wild at 3 minutes, 33 seconds to wire the puck by goaltender Filip Gustavsson, who finished with 26 saves.

Connor Zary buried a 2-on-1 at 6:18 to sink the Wild into their first two-goal hole in five games, and Rasmus Anderson added an empty-netter with a minute remaining.

Flames goalie Dustin Wolf was impressive, stopping 26 shots, with a few highlight-reel blocks.

Yakov Trenin had the Wild’s only goal in the second period.

—How it happened

The Wild made only one change from the 1-0 victory at Edmonton on Tuesday, subbing Gustavsson in for Jesper Wallstedt after Wallstedt’s 33-save shutout.

Danila Yurov remained out because of a lower-body injury, but the center’s return is “imminent,” coach John Hynes said. Yurov is the only reinforcement on the way: Marco Rossi won’t be joining the team on this road trip, with his lower-body injury keeping him out longer than the Wild originally thought, and Marcus Foligno (lower body) hasn’t started skating.

Despite a depleted offense, the Wild have been managing, but they sputtered early against the Flames.

Calgary took three penalties in the opening period, the latter a high stick against rookie Zeev Buium that resulted in a four-minute power play, but the Flames escaped unscathed; the Wild had little flow in their setup and tested Wolf only six times — a save by the shaft of his stick that batted away a Kirill Kaprizov shot was Wolf’s best work during the four penalty kills.

Once the Flames finally got a fresh start with the second period, they took advantage when Jonathan Huberdeau backhanded in a rebound at 4:21.

Wolf preserved that lead with a jaw-dropping stop against Marcus Johansson, whose redirect stayed out after Wolf stopped it with his back.

The Wild did get back to square one with 3:09 to go in the period on a Trenin deflection off a Zach Bogosian shot, a puck that bounced off the post and in to sabotage Wolf’s shutout bid.

With the game up for grabs in the third period, Calgary capitalized twice in 2:45 to seize control.

Morgan Frost threaded a headman pass to Coronato for the uncontested put-back past Gustavsson. Then Blake Coleman handed off to Zary on an odd-man rush, the type of opportunities the Wild were limiting during their recent run.

—Turning point

Those whiffs by the Wild on the power play in the first period gave the Flames all the momentum they needed to flip what could have been a disastrous start into a prosperous ending.

Had the Wild converted once or even twice, the uphill climb for Calgary in its return home from a long (and meh) road trip could have easily been insurmountable.

Instead, the Flames took a page out of the Wild’s book, getting galvanized by their penalty kill and subsequently never trailing en route to a feel-good victory.

—Key stat

Calgary didn’t receive a power play until the third period and although the Wild denied it, the special-teams battle was a wash because of their 0-for-5 showing on the power play; they had a very abbreviated opportunity in the third period.

Faceoffs were an issue: The Wild won only one draw on the power play.

—What it means

Close-checking games are usually right up the Wild’s alley, but they were off vs. the Flames.

They weren’t as decisive in their playmaking, and what chances they did get lacked the edge that made them go on their streak. The Wild also got a taste of their own medicine, as Wolf was almost unbeatable – the caliber of goaltending the Wild have become accustomed to while they were picking up points.

Hynes juggled the Wild lines, but a spark never materialized; as a result, the Wild skated off the ice empty handed for the first time in weeks.

—Up next

The Wild will play at Vancouver on Saturday, their first game against the Canucks since a Nov. 1 victory over them in St. Paul turned the Wild’s season around.