Win puts Wild into playoff position
Victory over Caps moves Minnesota into 2nd wild card
Luke Kunin scored the go-ahead goal with 7:35 left, Devan Dubnyk made 21 saves and the Minnesota Wild moved into playoff position by beating the Washington Capitals 2-1 on Friday night.
Jordan Greenway also scored for Minnesota, which snapped a twogame skid and leapfrogged Arizona and Colorado to move into the second wildcard spot in a competitive Western Conference race. Ryan Donato assisted on the goals by Kunin and Greenway and was the Wild’s best forward in a game dominated by that second line.
Dubnyk did not have to make too many highdanger saves, but was dependable in Minnesota’s net. A sliding pad save on a one-timer by John Carlson on a Capitals power play in the second period was his most impressive stop. notes: The Predators signed forward Rem Pitlick to a two-year, entry-level contract. Pitlick, who is 5-foot-9 and 196 pounds, just finished his junior season at the University of Minnesota. The 21-year-old collected 21 goals and 24 assists for the Golden Gophers to earn first-team all-big Ten honors. ... Capitals defenseman Michal Kempny is out indefinitely with a lower-body injury. In an overtime loss to Tampa Bay on Wednesday, Kempny’s left leg bent awkwardly as he went down to the ice during a tussle with Lightning forward Cedric Paquette in the second period. Kempny needed help from trainers to get to the locker room.