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Koivu completes hat trick in OT as Wild triumph

Sep 22, 2007 - 3:32 AM By Rory Spears PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

CHICAGO (Ticker) -- Mikko Koivu made sure the Minnesota Wild continued their three-game road trip with their second win in as many nights.

Koivu completed his hat trick with six seconds remaining in overtime, leading the Wild to a 5-4 preseason victory over the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday.

Chicago lost for the second night in a row on their home ice. It dropped a 1-0 decision to Florida on Thursday.

The Wild appeared on their way to victory when Sergei Samsonov scored with less than one second remaining in the third period, forcing overtime. But as 18-year-old Patrick Kane watched from the penalty box, Koivu gave Minnesota the win.

Drafted first overall in June, Kane was called for holding at 2:59, giving the Wild a power play for the remainder of the extra session, save for one second. It took nearly the entire length of the man advantage for Minnesota to convert, as Koivu fired a shot from the slot that found its way past goaltender Patrick Lalime at 4:54.

Blackhawks coach Denis Savard expected a strong start from his club, and he got it. After killing off an early holding penalty on Robert Lang, Chicago went on the attack.

Pressure in the offensive end forced the Wild to take two quick penalties. Defenseman John Scott was sent off for roughing at 5:11, and Marian Gaborik was called for hooking just 13 seconds later.

With a lengthy two-man advantage, however, the Blackhawks failed to capitalize. Chicago just missed scoring when defenseman Cam Barker's shot from the left point bounced off the chest of netminder Niklas Backstrom.

The puck deflected right to Lang, who had the entire left side of the net open. But his wrist shot banged off the goalpost, keeping the game scoreless.

Minnesota scored the game's first goal midway through the second period when it caught Chicago on a line change. Only two seconds after a penalty to Serge Payer expired, Gaborik struck for his first goal of the preseason.

Gaborik gathered a loose puck at center ice and, just after crossing the blue line, fired a wrist shot that deflected back to him off the skate of Chicago's Patrick Kane. The Slovakian shot again, using Kane as a screen, and beat Lalime just under the crossbar at 11:24.

The Wild made it 2-0 just over two minutes later on a power-play goal by Koivu, his first of the preseason.

From the left corner, Mark Parrish sent a perfect cross-ice pass to Koivu coming in from the right wing. Koivu's one-timer low to the ice beat Lalime inside the right post.

The third period saw the teams combine to score five goals in a span of 7:28.

After Chicago got on the board courtesy of defenseman James Wisniewski's first tally of the preseason at 1:24, Minnesota quickly countered, with Wes Walz netting his first on a bank shot off the right post from deep in the slot at 2:06.

Chicago closed within 3-2 just 24 seconds later, when Adam Burish drove to the net from the left side and beat Backstrom by lifting the puck just under the crossbar.

Koivu scored his second goal of game at 4:34, putting a wrist shot between the pads of Lalime from the right faceoff circle for a 4-2 lead.

The Blackhawks again reduced the deficit to one as Kane scored his first NHL goal, deflecting a shot by defenseman Magnus Johansson past Backstrom at 8:51.

Scott and Chicago enforcer David Koci squared off in an impressive battle in the first period. Scott landed two solid uppercuts, but Koci countered with a combination and cut the 24-year-old under the right eye.