TORONTO – The Minnesota Wild defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-1 on Wednesday, sending the Leafs to a third straight regulation loss. Filip Gustavsson made 31 saves in the win. Jared Spurgeon, Marat Khusnutdinov, and Marcus Foligno scored for Minnesota, while William Nylander replied for Toronto. Kirill Kaprizov was absent from the game due to a lower-body injury and is expected to miss at least four weeks.
The Wild took a 2-0 lead in the first period, but Nylander cut the deficit in half in the third with his team-leading 29th goal of the season. Foligno sealed the win with an empty-net goal. Leafs captain Auston Matthews had a close chance, hitting the post in the first period.
In other news, Max Pacioretty returned to the Leafs lineup after an upper-body injury, while veteran goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury is set to play in Montreal one last time as the Wild visit the Canadiens.
The win improves the Wild’s record to 30-17-4, with the team winning two straight games. The Leafs, on the other hand, have three goals during their current three-game skid. Up next, the Wild will continue a five-game road trip against the Canadiens, while the Leafs will start a four-game road trip against the Oilers.
Overall, the Wild’s solid defensive play and timely scoring led them to victory against the struggling Maple Leafs, highlighting the team’s resilience and depth even without their star player.
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