National Hockey League
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Minnesota 5, Washington 3
When: 8:00 PM ET, Saturday, January 4, 2014
Where: Xcel Energy Center, Saint Paul, Minnesota
Referees: Tom Kowal, Wes McCauley
Linesmen: Don Henderson, Andy McElman
Attendance: 19022

Wild 5, Capitals 3: Ryan Suter recorded the first hat trick by a defenseman in club history as Minnesota rallied past visiting Washington despite tying a franchise low with 11 shots on goal.

Suter came out of the penalty box and knocked home a pass from fellow blue-liner Clayton Stoner 7:37 into the third period for his third goal, giving the Wild a 5-3 lead. Nino Niederreiter and Jason Zucker each added a goal, captain Mikko Koivu notched two assists and Niklas Backstrom made 27 saves for Minnesota.

Defenseman Mike Green scored a pair of goals and Marcus Johansson added another for the Capitals, who led 2-0 after the first period before giving up three power-play tallies in the second. Braden Holtby turned aside only six shots as Washington fell to 1-3-3 in its last seven games.

Johansson knocked home a rebound during a power play 12:02 into the game and Green went around Matt Cooke before whipping a shot past Backstrom 13 seconds later for a 2-0 lead. Niederreiter converted a nifty pass from Charlie Coyle 2:16 into the Wild’s four-goal second period to halve the deficit.

Suter scored on a 5-on-3 power play at 6:56 and added another man-advantage tally 42 seconds later – both on shots from the high slot through traffic – for a 3-2 edge. Green’s shot off the end board caromed in off Backstrom to tie it and Zucker swept in a rebound during the power play at 17:04 to restore the Wild's lead.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Suter's hat trick was the 16th in Wild history and first since Guillaume Latendresse accomplished the feat on Jan. 16, 2010. … Washington RW Alex Ovechkin recorded an assist but was held without a goal for the fifth time in six games. Ovechkin leads the league with 31 tallies. … The four goals in a period for Minnesota were a season high and the three power-play tallies were its most in a game this campaign.
Top Game Performances
 
Washington   Minnesota
Mike Green 2 Points Ryan Suter 3
Mike Green 2 Goals Ryan Suter 3
Nicklas Backstrom 1 Assists Mikko Koivu 2
Marcus Johansson 1 Power Play Goals Ryan Suter 2
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
Braden Holtby .545 Save Percentage Niklas Backstrom .900
Braden Holtby 6 Saves Niklas Backstrom 27
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Washington 30 3 1-2 2-5 17 27
Minnesota 11 5 3-5 1-2 11 37
Upcoming Games
  • Minnesota will play their next game on the road against Los Angeles. The Wild have a W/L % of .619 after a win and .391 after a loss.
  • Washington will play their next game on the road against Tampa Bay. The Capitals have a W/L % of .500 after a win and .455 after a loss.