Game Recap: Wild 2, Hurricanes 1

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Filip Gustavsson made 37 saves, and the Minnesota Wild held on to defeat the Carolina Hurricanes 2-1 at Xcel Energy Center on Thursday.

The 26-year-old goalie, who will represent Sweden at the 4 Nations Face-Off, bounced back after allowing six goals to the Ottawa Senators in his last start.

“We watched that game (against Ottawa). It’s hopefully a one-off and it’s never going to happen again because it was kind of embarrassing,” Gustavsson said. “Especially personal for me, I want to go there and really show them that they made a bad trade kind of, and we just didn’t show up at all. And then we bounced back in Boston, showed up, we just didn’t score any goals (3-0 loss Tuesday). Today it was like you felt a little intensity in the room and then we got a goal there from (Yakov) Trenin and you know, got some blood in the water there and the team really got going again and felt like we came back to how we normally play.”

Trenin and Vinnie Hinostroza scored for Minnesota (32-19-4), which had been shut out in its previous two games.

“Whether it's lifting sticks, shot blocking and not allowing second efforts,” Wild coach John Hynes said. “I thought we also did a good job, if the puck was in those areas or below the goal line, we had five players tight. And then when they did get some looks, because they're going to, I thought ‘Gus’ really competed tonight. In scrums and battles, and it was going to be one where your goaltender has to compete in traffic tonight and he did a nice job."

Sebastian Aho scored for Carolina (32-19-4), which has lost three in a row, scoring just one goal during the skid. Frederik Andersen made 22 saves.

“That’s what’s gone for us here lately,” Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour said. “Can’t fault the effort. I thought we had a good game. We had a good first period and come down [1-0]. We gave up kind of a weird one where we got skated and then they made a nice play. You got to tip the hat. Second period we were kind of even. I thought it was not much going both ways, and then we made another kind of poor decision on the second goal, and they made us pay. So, tough night.

“We definitely had enough opportunities to get more than one goal, but we certainly deserve to get something out of that, but that’s kind of how it’s gone for us this whole year to be honest with you.”

Trenin gave the Wild a 1-0 lead at 2:55 of the first period, taking a turnaround centering pass from Marat Khusnutdinov on the rush and shifting the puck to his backhand to slip it between Andersen’s pads.

“I [want to] make a move and then I thought goalie [is going to] play more towards me,” Trenin said. “And I tried to five-hole. And then I did. I had all empty net and put five-hole. And I didn’t see the puck, I thought I didn’t score. Then I see it. Phew.”

Hurricanes forward Jackson Blake was awarded a penalty shot after Brock Faber was called for holding on a breakaway at 12:05 of the second period, but Blake lost control of the puck toward the end and Gustavsson made the save.

"I tried to shoot it, obviously, and then he covered it up pretty well,” Blake said. “If I don't lose the puck, I honestly thought I would have had him on my forehand. Unfortunately, I lost the puck."

Hinostoza extended the lead to 2-0 just 49 seconds into the third period. Jared Spurgeon’s point shot hit the post, and Hinotroza poked it in after Andersen failed to locate the puck in the crease. It was his first game with the Wild after being picked up off waivers on Wednesday.

With Andersen pulled for the extra attacker, Aho spun in the slot and scored with a wrist shot to bring Carolina within 2-1 at 17:12. Aho will serve as an alternate captain for Finland at the 4 Nations Face-Off.

“We're a hard-working team,” Hurricanes defenseman Jaccob Slavin said. “Hopefully there's no letting off the gas. We knew it was going to come and it was going to be a grimy goal. We gave them too many tonight, so we've got to just bear down on the defensive side of the puck and not give them opportunities that they don't need to have, and that's typically how the game goes."

NOTES: Gustavsson earned his 63rd win for the Wild, passing Dwayne Roloson for fourth most on the franchise’s all-time wins list. … Carolina is 0-for-10 on the power play in the past five games and 1-for-25 in the past 10.