Minnesota Wild Remain Perfect At Home To Even Series With Blackhawks

May 9, 2014; Saint Paul, MN, USA; Minnesota Wild goalie Ilya Bryzgalov (30) makes a save on Chicago Blackhawks forward Patrick Sharp (10) during the second period in game four of the second round of the 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Xcel Energy Center. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports

Its too bad for the Minnesota Wild that they won’t have home ice advantage in any series they play. The Wild are now a perfect 5-0 at Exel Energy center, and have allowed only 6 goals at home. They evened up their series with the Chicago Blackhawks at 2 games apiece with a 4-2 win that followed up a 4-0 shutout in game 3.

It was certainly not a goaltending clinic as both teams scored some bad goals that should be stopped 99.9% of the time, but the Wild did enough to overcome those masked men mistakes.

Super-pest Matt Cooke made his return to the Wild lineup after serving his 7 game suspension for kneeing Tyson Barrie, and he made an immediate impact by setting up the first goal. Cooke created a turnover and then went to the front of the net after dropping the puck to Justin Fontaine. Fontaine’s wrist shot got through the traffic and over the shoulder of Corey Crawford 7:24 into the game.

Patrick Sharp, who had been all but invisible in the first three games of the series, took a pass from Marian Hossa at full flight, and went wide around the Wild defender and from a bad angle got a shot through the wickets of Ilya Bryzgalov to tie the score at 1 very late in the first.

The poor goaltending continued in the second period, as Jason Pominville banked one in off Crawford from directly behind the net after a nice net drive by Ryan Suter to restore the Wild’s one goal lead.

Bryzgalov’s gaping 5 hole was the victim again later in the second as Michal Handzus tipped a shot from Brent Seabrook thorough the enigmatic Russian’s legs to even the score again.

It was Minnesota’s game 7 hero Nino Niederreiter who put the Wild ahead, this time for good, 44 seconds later. He burst down the wing and put a wrist shot past Crawford from outside the faceoff dot.