National Hockey League
Minnesota 5, San Jose 2
When: 10:30 PM ET, Thursday, December 9, 2021
Where: SAP Center at San Jose, San Jose, California
Referees: Steve Kozari, Corey Syvret
Linesmen: Bryan Pancich, Vaughan Rody
Attendance: 10782

Cam Talbot made 33 saves and Jordan Greenway had two goals as the Minnesota Wild extended their winning streak with a 5-2 road victory over the San Jose Sharks on Thursday.

Minnesota won for the eighth consecutive game, marking the third-longest win streak in franchise history.

Kevin Fiala, Joel Eriksson Ek and Kirill Kaprizov each had a goal and an assist for the Wild.

Jonathan Dahlien and Tomas Hertl each had a goal and an assist during a dominant third period for the Sharks, who outshot Minnesota by a 19-9 margin in the final frame. With the Wild's lead narrowed to 3-2, Greenway and Kaprizov each scored empty-net goals in the last two minutes to clinch the victory.

San Jose is 1-3-0 in its last four games.

Talbot stopped 33 of 35 shots to earn his league-leading 15th win of the season. The Minnesota goaltender is a perfect 6-0-0 with a sterling .950 save percentage over his last six games.

The Wild have scored the opening goal seven times in their eight-game streak, after Fiala's marker 6:22 into the first period.

The Sharks entered Thursday's action with the second-best penalty-kill percentage (87.9 percent) in the NHL, but Minnesota scored on two of three power-play chances. It was the first time this season San Jose surrendered multiple power-play goals in a game.

Minnesota has struggled on the power play for much of the season, yet the team now has four goals with the man advantage over its last three games.

Eriksson Ek collected his second power-play goal in as many games when he extended Minnesota's lead 7:04 into the second period. Of Eriksson Ek's 11 goals, six have come with the extra attacker, putting the forward among the league leaders in power-play tallies.

Greenway converted the Wild's other power-play score later in the second period. After collecting just three assists in his first 17 games, Greenway has six points (four goals, two assists) in his last five games.

Kaprizov is on a seven-game points streak. Over his last 11 games, the forward has 21 points (seven goals, 14 assists).

San Jose goalie Adin Hill stopped 22 of 25 shots.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Minnesota   San Jose
Jordan Greenway 2 Points Jonathan Dahlen 2
Jordan Greenway 2 Goals Jonathan Dahlen 1
Joel Eriksson Ek 1 Assists Jonathan Dahlen 1
Jordan Greenway 1 Power Play Goals Tomas Hertl 1
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
Cam Talbot .943 Save Percentage Adin Hill .880
Cam Talbot 33 Saves Adin Hill 22
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Minnesota 27 5 2-3 2-3 6 21
San Jose 35 2 1-3 1-3 6 28
Upcoming Games
  • San Jose will play their next game at home against Dallas. The Sharks have a W/L % of .533 after a win and .500 after a loss.
  • Minnesota will play their next game on the road against Los Angeles. The Wild have a W/L % of .722 after a win and .750 after a loss.