Leafs beat Bolts in overtime, closing in on divisional crown
The Toronto Maple Leafs took a massive step towards clinching the Atlantic Division with a 4-3 overtime win over the Tampa Bay Lightning. It only took 73 seconds for Mitchell Marner to put them in front, with Matthew Knies doubling the advantage two mintutes later. Tampa, who had lost all three other games against the Leafs this season, got a goal near the end of the opening period through Nick Perbix to get them back into the game.
Following a scoreless second period, Oliver Bjorkstrand tied the game up for the Bolts less than a minute into the third. That would only be the case for a little over a minute, as Knies scored his second on a power play to put Toronto back in front. There would be no backing down from the Lightning though, as Victor Hedman returned the game to parity midway through the third. In the end, the Leafs showed their mettle, and near the three minute mark of overtime, Knies completed his hat-trick to give his team the win.
The Leafs came the sixth different team to surpass 100 points in the regular season, as they sit three points ahead of Tampa Bay in the Atlantic Division. They are also second in the Eastern Conference, seven points behind the Washington Capitals. It was a third defeat in their last four for the Lightning.
Flyers and Wild score eight in thrilling victories
Across some of the other NHL matches on Wednesday, the Philadelphia Flyers scored eight in a 8-5 victory over the New York Rangers. The hosts led twice in the match at Madison Square Gardens, but could not hold on for the win.
Tyson Foerster managed a hat-trick in the game, as his latter two goals helped put the game out of reach for the Rangers. Going into the final period at 2-2, Travis Sanheim put the Flyers back in the lead early in the frame. New York, looking to keep their playoff hopes alive, responded with two goals in less than 90 seconds to regain the lead.
They could not hold on though, as Philadelphia scored three times in a seven-minute period to grab what proved to be an unassailable lead. Despite getting one back with a little less than two minutes left, Foerster sealed his hat-trick with an empty netter, with Owen Tippett also finding the goal just before the end to seal the win. The Rangers, losers of their last three, are all but out of the playoff hunt now.
In what was an incredibly dramatic game, the Minnesota Wild lived up to their name with an 8-7 overtime success over the visiting San Jose Sharks. The dramatic game saw five different lead changes in regulation time. The Sharks got the game's opener midway through the first, but would not regain their advantage at around the same point of the second.
Things then changed from there, as Minnesota got four unanswered goals to go up 7-4 a couple minutes into the third frame. Joel Eriksson netted four times in regulation as he was easily the standout player. However, San Jose would not give up. They rallied to tie things up at seven apiece, with the leveller coming 50 seconds before the end. That would be the best it got for them, as Kirill Kaprizov only needed a minute the overtime period to score the winner and give the Wild a crucial win.
Minnesota are now on 93 points with three games left. That win could go a long way to clinching a postseason berth, with the St. Louis Blues and Calgary Flames competing with them for two of the final three spots. Winners of two in a row, the Wild will battle the Flames on Thursday in what could be a do-or-die match for one of the final playoff places.