Islanders 2, Wild 1 (SO)
Al Montoya denied all three attempts in the shootout to make Frans Nielsen's second-round tally stand up as the New York Islanders snapped a four-game losing skid with a 2-1 road triumph over the Minnesota Wild on Saturday.
After Montoya denied Matt Cullen and Marek Zidlicky, Nielsen beat Niklas Backstrom after a quick deke before backhanding the puck under the crossbar. Montoya, who made 20 stops in regulation, then denied Dany Heatley with his glove to preserve the win.
Defenseman Andrew MacDonald opened the scoring midway into the second period.
After Backstrom denied Matt Moulson on a point-blank chance, John Tavares kicked the puck back out to MacDonald, who blasted a shot from the point to open the scoring. Both of MacDonald's goals this season and three of his seven in his career have come at the expense of the Wild.
Cal Clutterbuck leveled the contest at 8:22 of the third period after a failed clear gave Heatley a shot on goal. While Montoya made the stop, Clutterbuck settled the loose puck and tapped it into the net.
Backstrom turned aside 35 shots, but Minnesota has lost three straight after a season-high seven-game winning streak.