Minnesota Wild: Former Wild player nets game-winning goal versus Buffalo

The Minnesota Wild went down 3-2 to the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday, courtesy of a game-winning goal from a former player of theirs.

Jason Pominville, who was dealt away as part of a trade tree that has roots with Nick Leddy, struck in the third period to over-turn what at one point threatened to be an easy win for the Minnesota Wild.

Given that within the first eight minutes of the game, the Minnesota Wild had a 2-0 lead; it’s wouldn’t have seemed unthinkable for the Sabres to be viewed as down and out.

Instead, they rallied back, bringing the scores back within one in the first period before finishing the job in the third.

Former Minnesota Wild player, Jason Pominville served to put the icing on the cake though. Mikko Koivu should probably be given the assist too as he laid the puck to his former team-mate on an attempt to clear the zone. Pominville’s back-hand, regardless of the fact it got past Devan Dubnyk and lost the Wild the game was a slick move:

Whilst, I have little doubt that there is any regret at letting Pominville move on, back to the Sabres; it’s little moves like that in a game that the Wild didn’t really deserve to lose that plant a tiny seed of doubt as to whether trading him was the correct option.

The Minnesota Wild to their credit tested Linus Ullmark in th Sabres’ net plenty. They pulled 37 saves out of the veteran goaltender; at the end of the first, they were tracking for 50-odd shots if they kept up their efforts. Sadly, that didn’t happen and Buffalo found a way back.

Heading into the second of their back-to-back against a struggling Chicago Blackhawks outfit, the Wild will be seeking a bounce-back win.

Otherwise, it can rest squarely on Jason Pominville for putting a dampener on an otherwise very impressive start to the year.