DALLAS — You'll understand if Freddy Gaudreau sleeps in a bit on Friday.
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.
The third line center 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. He also got a rare goaltender assist when he threw a beautiful bounce pass off the boards right onto Gaudreau's stick, leading to the overtime game-winner.
Minnesota remained two points behind St. Louis for second place in the Central Division. The Blues won at Buffalo on Thursday night.
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 for the Wild. Robertson increased his team-leading Stars total to 36.
It didn't take long for Fiala to end Wedgewood's hope of his second shutout in three nights, 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 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, who is developing a reputation as a Wild killer, tied it 55 seconds into the third period, when his shot from the top of the slot went in off Fleury's stick.
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