Frederick Gaudreau scored at 1:40 overtime after assisting on Kevin Fiala's two regulation goals in the Minnesota Wild's 3-2 victory over the Dallas Stars on Thursday night.
Gaudreau picked up a loose puck, skated into the Dallas zone and sent the puck past goalie Scott Wedgewood.
Marc-Andre Fleury made 34 saves for Minnesota, allowing only Jason Robertson's two goals. Wedgewood stopped 24 shots.
Minnesota remained two points behind St. Louis for second place in the Central Division. The Blues won at Buffalo on Thursday night.
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Dallas earned a point for the overtime loss, moving the Stars into a tie with Nashville, which lost to Edmonton on Thursday night, in the Western Conference wild-card race. The Stars and Predators each have eight games remaining.
Fiala scored his 27th and 28th goals. Robertson increased his team-leading total to 36.
Fiala ended Wedgewood's hope of his second shutout in three nights by putting in a backhand from in front of the net just 2:14 into the game. Gaudreau set up Fiala with a pass from the right corner.
Dallas Stars
Dallas tied it at 6:02 of the second on the first power play of the game. Robertson took a pass from Roope Hintz in front off the net and shot into Fleury's pads. Robertson gathered the rebound, put the puck on his backhand and slid it into the mostly empty net.
On the Stars' second power play midway through the second, Gaudreau knocked down a loose puck that went to Fiala ahead of Dallas' Alexander Radiulov and John Klingberg. Fiala beat Wedgewood with a wrist shot under the crossbar from short range for his first career short-handed goal.
Robertson tied it 55 seconds into the third period, when his shot from the top of the slot went in off Fleury's stick.
WORTH NOTING: Fiala has been on the ice as a penalty killer longer this season than in his first seven years combined (56 1/2 minutes to 43 1/2). He is having his best overall season, with career highs of 28 goals, 39 assists and 67 points. ... Dallas C Joe Pavelski assisted on Robertson's first goal. It was Pavelski's 47th, breaking a tie for the most in his 16-year career.
UP NEXT
Wild: At St. Louis on Saturday.
Stars: Host San Jose on Saturday night.
