Game Recap: Wild 6, Islanders 3

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Matt Boldy had two goals and an assist for the Minnesota Wild, who scored five unanswered goals in a 6-3 win against the New York Islanders at Xcel Energy Center on Saturday.

The 23-year-old forward, who went nine games without a goal, will play for the U.S. at the 4 Nations Face-Off next week.

“For us, we knew that [the first half of the game] wasn’t good enough and that wasn’t [going to] win us the game,” Boldy said. “So, to be able to kind of turn the page and go back to how we play and play hard and simple was kind of the key.”

Marco Rossi, Frederick Gaudreau and Yakov Trenin also scored for the Wild (33-19-4), who have won two straight. Filip Gustavsson made 31 saves and will represent Sweden at the 4 Nations Face-Off.

“I just thought we just played the way we really needed to play,” Minnesota coach John Hynes said. “I thought we got more emotionally engaged in the game and played a little bit more north and direct and got some momentum and got more attached to the game. I thought the first was kind of a 50-50 period and then obviously we weren’t great to start the second. But got to it and got rewarded for it.”

Brock Nelson and Kyle Palmieri each had a goal and an assist for the Islanders (25-23-7), who lost 4-3 at the Winnipeg Jets on Friday. Ilya Sorokin made 27 saves.

“I guess we didn't have the legs to come back in the third period,” New York coach Patrick Roy said. “I mean, when you play back-to-back catch-up hockey, may be a little tougher to do, especially against the team that's rested."

Gaudreau brought the Wild within 3-2 at 13:21 of the second on the power play with a one-timer from the top of the right circle that deflected off Islanders defenseman Tony DeAngelo’s stick and over Sorokin’s shoulder.

Boldy tipped a Jonas Brodin shot low to beat Sorokin and tie the game 3-3 at 17:59, then Trenin gave Minnesota a 4-3 lead at 18:50 when he tipped Jake Middleton’s shot in front.

“We stayed mentally strong,” Trenin said. “We didn't get down after that third goal and then power play came up huge to score a big goal. Kept us in the game and gave us some momentum."

Boldy pushed it to 5-3 at 5:53 of the third period, fending off Palmieri as he drove to the net and sending a centering pass into the crease that went in off DeAngelo’s stick.

“It’s unfortunate. I mean we put two in our own net,” Roy said. “And those games happen. You don't like when they happen but they're part of it.”

Foligno scored an empty-net goal for the 6-3 final at 15:46.

Rossi gave the Wild a 1-0 lead at 3:19 of the first period with a snap shot from the slot off a backhanded feed from Boldy, but Palmieri tied it 1-1 just 13 seconds later with a turnaround wrist shot from the slot.

Nelson put the Islanders ahead 2-1 with a one-timer from the bottom of the right circle just 28 seconds into the second.

Anders Lee extended the lead to 3-1 at 7:17 with a backdoor tip in after Scott Perunovich intercepted a clearing attempt by Mats Zuccarello and passed down low to Lee.

“You'd like to be able to kind of keep that momentum that we had for the first 15-16 minutes of the period and come into the third in a really good spot and make them try and earn it,” said Nelson, who will be playing with the U.S. at the 4 Nations Face-Off. “But a couple minutes there cost us.”

NOTES: The Wild earned their fifth multigoal comeback win of the season, tied with the Aneheim Ducks for the second-most in the NHL behind the Seattle Kraken, Carolina Hurricanes and Edmonton Oilers (six). …Minnesota forward Joel Eriksson Ek, who will represent Sweden at the 4 Nations Face-Off, was a late scratch with a lower-body injury. Hynes said the concern level for the injury is “not high.”