Wild top Caps

WASHINGTON - Back in late January, when the NHL took a long weekend to stage its All-Star Game, the Minnesota Wild were mired in mediocrity with a 20-20-5 record.
Since then, they have been the NHL’s hottest team.
Veteran right winger Jason Pominville netted two third-period goals 5:09 apart, leading the Wild to a come-from-behind, 2-1 victory over the Washington Capitals on a snowy Thursday night.
The win was the Wild’s fourth straight and improved their record since the All-Star break to a league-best 15-2-1. Minnesota (35-22-7) moved past the Winnipeg Jets and into the first wild-card spot in the Western Conference, five points ahead of the Los Angeles Kings and San Jose Sharks, who are tied for ninth place.
The Capitals (35-21-10) were playing without NHL leading goal scorer Alex Ovechkin, who was sidelined for the first time this season due to a lower-body injury. Left winger Curtis Glencross scored the lone goal for the Capitals, who were thwarted by Wild goaltender Devan Dubnyk (24 saves).
The Wild entered the final period trailing by a goal, and Pominville had to work hard to tie the score at the 9:19 mark. The 32-year-old veteran was stopped at the side of the net on a brilliant save by Washington goaltender Braden Holtby (28 saves). Pominville lost his stick in Hotby’s pads but yanked it loose just in time to shove the puck between Holtby’s legs for his 14th goal of the season.
Pominville struck again with 5:32 remaining in regulation when left winger Zach Parise picked off a pass by Capitals defenseman Mike Green and fed the puck to Pominville, who blasted a shot over sliding defenseman Tim Gleason and past Holtby’s left shoulder for the game-winning goal.