Minnesota came out pouring with pressure early on, looking to capitalize early against the visiting Florida Panthers. The Cats, on the other hand, were able to contain the Wild’s energy, with some help from Sergei Bobrovsky.
When least expected, the Panthers hit the Wild hard off a counter-attack as Mike Hoffman beautifully sprung Keith Yandle near the goal, with Yandle only having to put the puck in the empty net to give Florida a 1-0 lead.
With a goal up, the Wild upped their tempo even further, drawing the game’s first power play.