CHICAGO — The Minnesota Wild edged out the Chicago Blackhawks with a 4-2 victory on Sunday night, thanks to goals from Jared Spurgeon, Joel Eriksson Ek, and Frederick Gaudreau. This matchup marked the start of a five-game road trip for the Wild, who aimed to bounce back after losing five out of their last six games. Matt Boldy played a crucial role, contributing three assists throughout the game.

The Blackhawks struggled initially, managing only five shots on goal until a third-period surge. They found some momentum when Seth Jones netted a goal during a power play, followed by Frank Nazar scoring his third of the season just over four minutes into the final period, narrowing Minnesota’s lead to one goal. However, the Wild managed to maintain their composure in the closing moments, with Marcus Foligno sealing the game with an empty-net goal at 1:42 remaining. Filip Gustavsson, the Wild’s goaltender, recorded 18 saves in the match.

Following this loss, the Blackhawks’ record slipped to 1-4-3 over their last eight games, with them losing three out of four encounters against the Wild this season. Minnesota struck first with Spurgeon’s wrist shot from the high slot at 5:43 into the first period, shortly followed by Gaudreau’s goal at 7:17, putting the Wild up 2-0 with a shot that beat goaltender Petr Mrazek on his glove side. Eriksson Ek extended the lead by scoring a power-play goal 10:45 into the second period, marking his ninth goal of the season, after having also scored in the previous night’s 5-4 loss to Calgary.

In terms of game insights, the Wild seemed to experience a bit of a setback early in the third period but managed to stronghold their defensive strategies toward the game’s end. For the Blackhawks, the late-game excitement failed to offset their uninspired start, with Mrazek making 24 saves during the match.

A pivotal moment arose when the Blackhawks were given a power-play opportunity after a holding call on Jakub Lauko with 5:04 left on the clock. However, Minnesota effectively shut down the attack by blocking the lanes in front of Gustavsson, successfully killing off the penalty.

In terms of individual accomplishments, Spurgeon has been a consistent threat against the Blackhawks, tallying four goals against them this season, bringing his total to five for the year.

Looking ahead, the Wild are set to face off against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday night, while the Blackhawks will kick off a three-game road trip against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday evening.