ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Ryan Hartman scored with 1:11 remaining in the third period and the Minnesota Wild beat the Chicago Blackhawks 3-1 on Saturday.
Ryan Reaves and Frederick Gaudreau also scored for Minnesota and Filip Gustavsson made 22 saves in goal.
The Wild have points in four straight games after their franchise-record 14-game point streak was snapped on March 18. Minnesota started the day a point behind Dallas, which hosts Vancouver, for the lead in the Central Division. The Wild were one point ahead of idle Colorado.
Lukas Reichel scored for Chicago, which has lost four in a row. Former Minnesota goaltender Alex Stalock made 22 saves for the Blackhawks.
Even without leading scorer Kirill Kaprizov, who missed his eighth straight game with a lower-body injury, the Wild have kept rolling to the top of the Central. Minnesota leads the NHL in points since Feb. 17.
With Kaprizov out, the Wild has gotten scoring from unexpected spots, including Reaves, the big enforcer who was acquired from the New York Rangers in November. He has four goals in the past seven games and five for the season.
A slow start by both teams in the rare afternoon contest turned Minnesota’s way midway through the second period when Reaves used a backhand wraparound to open the scoring, with the puck deflecting off Stalock’s pads and then a skate into the goal.
Reichel scored his fourth goal in 26 games in his rookie season 1:15 into the third period. He kept the puck on a 2-on-1 and snapped a shot past Gustavsson on the wide side.
Hartman broke the tie late with his 13th goal and Gaudreau added an empty-net goal for his 14th tally of the season.
The Wild have won eight straight games against Chicago, Minnesota’s former playoff nemesis.
UP NEXT
Blackhawks: Return home against Vancouver on Sunday.
Wild: Host Seattle on Monday.
