NHL Scores: Wild shutout stops Golden Knights streak, Leon Draisaitl snaps drought to lift Oilers, and more

Anthony Scultore |

Mar 9, 2021

The Golden Knights (16-5-1) were looking for win number seven but young goalie Kaapo Kahkonen posted his first NHL shutout for a Wild (14-8-1) victory. Kevin Fiala opened the scoring with his 8th of the season and that would stand as the game winner.

NHL Scores: Wild bland Knights, Sharks end losing streak

Minnesota’s victory was a big one thanks to Kahkonen’s 26 save performance. The West Division is tight from 3rd to 6th only separated by three points. The Wild now hold 3rd just one point over the Avs.

“Kahkonen was outstanding,” head coach Dean Evason said after the 2-0 shutout. “It was such a grinding game tonight, but he was just very calm, very solid, obviously very good. It was a bit of an ugly game, but two points is two points.”

wild vs golden knights — Mar 8, 2021; Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Wild goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen (34) defends his net while center Nick Bonino (13) and Vegas Golden Knights left wing William Carrier (28) compete in the third period at Xcel Energy Center. Mandatory Credit: David Berding-USA TODAY Sports

Evander Kane played the hero for the Sharks (9-11-3) with an OT snipe 41 seconds into the extra session. That snapped a three game losing streak fo the San Jose as they topped the Blues ( 14-8-4) 3-2.

In Anaheim the Ducks (8-12-6) and Kings (10-8-6) played a wild one that saw Adam Henrique win it in OT off a feed from prized prospect Trevor Zegras. Trade candidate Rickard Rakell led the Ducks offense with two goals and an assist. The point for L.A. gets them to within two points of 4th held by Colorado.

Finally in West divisional action, the Avalanche (13-8-2) fell to the Coyotes (12-10-3) by a 3-2 score. Arizona’s win puts them one point behind Colorado for the last playoff spot.

NHL Scores: Leon Draisaitl ends drought, Canucks win again

Leon Draisaitl went eight games without a goal before potting the game-winner for the Oilers (16-11) to beat the Senators (9-18-1) 3-2. Connor McDavid added two assists in the contest to up his point totals to 45 points in 27 games.

The win was a big one for Edmonton as it moved them back into sole possession of 2nd place in the North. Meanwhile the Canucks (12-15-2) have won three in a row as they downed the Canadiens (11-6-7) 2-1 in a shootout.