Wild beat Oilers 7-4; Ryan Hartman’s hat trick breaks two ties and then breaks open the game

After two weeks into the season, the Wild’s No. 1 line was struggling to score goals. Coach Dean Evason could have split up Kirill Kaprizov, Ryan Hartman, and Mats Zuccarello in an attempt to ignite their games.

However, Evason chose not to, and it turned out to be the right decision.

“You knew this was going to happen at some point,” defenseman Jake Middleton said.

In a thrilling game against the Oilers on Tuesday at Xcel Energy Center, Hartman scored two tiebreakers, completing a hat trick, and Zuccarello finally gave the Wild the lead in a 7-4 comeback victory. Kaprizov also contributed with three assists.

“They finally played like the line we know them to be,” Evason said.

After Hartman’s second goal of the night early in the third period, Zuccarello scored the winning goal at 6:48, assisted by Kaprizov.

Joel Eriksson Ek added another goal at 10:28, and Evander Kane scored for the Oilers on the power play at 12:55. Hartman completed his hat trick with 4:10 left, while Marcus Foligno sealed the victory with an empty-netter at 16:37.

“Fortunately, I got to be a part of that top line coming to life,” Middleton said, who contributed with three assists in a career-high three-point game.

This was Hartman’s first hat trick with the Wild, making it even more special. He finished the game with five points, tying his career best.

“This one felt more real,” Hartman said, reflecting on his previous hat trick with Chicago that included two empty-net goals.

Overall, Hartman, Kaprizov, and Zuccarello combined for 10 points. Before the game, they had a total of 15 points and only four goals.

“We’ve been watching some shifts together, and too many times we were trying to force it. We’ve been holding onto it and making really good plays. That was the difference,” Hartman explained.

Evason considered breaking up the line, but ultimately decided to give them a chance to find their form.

“We felt they were trending in the right direction,” Evason said.

The Wild started the game on the back foot, with Edmonton scoring just 54 seconds into the first period. However, the team’s penalty kill prevented the Oilers from capitalizing on multiple power play opportunities.

Although the Wild’s power play didn’t convert, they excelled at even strength.

Marco Rossi scored to tie the game at 7:47 of the first period, but Warren Foegele regained the lead for Edmonton with 1:33 left. Hartman quickly responded, burying a rebound just 34 seconds later.

In the second period, the Wild struggled to generate offense despite several scoring chances.

The Oilers’ goaltender, Jack Campbell, made several outstanding saves to keep his team in the lead.

“We had a couple of open nets that we couldn’t convert. It was frustrating going into the third knowing we should have been up,” Hartman admitted.

However, that frustration didn’t affect the Wild’s performance.

In the third period, the team exploded with five goals to secure the victory. This win improves the Wild’s record to 3-2-1 before their upcoming three-game road trip.

“It’s tough playing against teams that are trying to shut you down every night. Some nights it’s hard,” Zuccarello said. “Just stick with the game, keep it simple, and let Hartzy put it in the net.”