National Hockey League
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Minnesota 3, Florida 2
When: 8:00 PM ET, Thursday, March 29, 2012
Where: Xcel Energy Center, Saint Paul, Minnesota
Referees: Justin St. Pierre, Mike Leggo
Linesmen: Brad Lazarowich, Mike Cvik
Attendance: 16952

WILD 3, PANTHERS 2 (OT): Erik Christensen scored with 31 seconds left in regulation and captain Mikko Koivu tallied 15 seconds into overtime as reeling Minnesota upended visiting Florida.

Kyle Brodziak also tallied and Niklas Backstrom returned from a groin injury to turn aside 25 shots as Minnesota posted its fourth win in 15 games (4-10-1).

Tomas Fleischmann netted his team-leading 25th goal and Scottie Upshall also scored with the man advantage for the Panthers, who have lost four of their last five and saw their lead over Washington in the Southeast Division fall to four points. The Capitals posted a 3-2 shootout victory over Boston on Thursday.

After Christensen leveled the contest after cleaning up a loose puck on the doorstep, Koivu beat former Wild netminder Jose Theodore while getting hauled down in overtime.

Florida claimed a 2-1 lead with 6:44 left in the third period after Fleischmann accepted a gorgeous feed from defenseman Jason Garrison and beat Backstrom to secure his 12th multi-point game of the season.

Brodziak collected his fourth goal in five home games when he tied the game at 1-1 just 1:03 into the third period. He cleaned up a loose puck on the doorstep and backhanded it past Theodore for his 21st tally.

GAME NOTEBOOK
: With two assists on the power play, Panthers defenseman Brian Campbell has a team-record 29 this season. ... Florida fell to 26-2-8 when scoring a power-play goal and 24-2-10 when netting the opening tally. ... Backstrom improved to 5-0-1 in his career versus the Panthers. ... Minnesota defenseman Justin Falk returned to the lineup after being sidelined since March 4 with a leg injury.
Top Game Performances
 
Florida   Minnesota
Tomas Fleischmann 2 Points Mikko Koivu 2
Tomas Fleischmann 1 Goals Mikko Koivu 1
Brian Campbell 2 Assists Tom Gilbert 2
Tomas Fleischmann 1 Power Play Goals N/A
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
Jose Theodore .880 Save Percentage Niklas Backstrom .926
Jose Theodore 22 Saves Niklas Backstrom 25
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Florida 27 2 2-5 2-2 4 37
Minnesota 25 3 0-2 3-5 10 28
Upcoming Games
  • Minnesota will play their next game at home against Los Angeles. The Wild have a W/L % of .548 after a win and .326 after a loss.
  • Florida will play their next game on the road against Columbus. The Panthers have a W/L % of .459 after a win and .500 after a loss.