Rossi's two goals lead Wild over Blackhawks 4-1
ST PAUL, MINNESOTA - DECEMBER 03: Connor Bedard #98 of the Chicago Blackhawks skates with the puck while Brock Faber #7 of the Minnesota Wild defends in the second period at Xcel Energy Center on December 03, 2023 in St Paul, Minnesota. (Photo by Dav
ST. PAUL, Minn. - Marco Rossi scored twice and Mats Zuccarello had a goal and two assists for the Minnesota Wild in a 4-1 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday.
Matt Boldy also scored for Minnesota, which has won three in a row after firing coach Dean Evason and replacing him with John Hynes. The Wild had scored 13 goals and lost seven straight games, leading to Evason’s dismissal. In the three games since, Minnesota has outscored opponents 13-3.
Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 27 shots for the Wild, who have won 10 in a row against Chicago.
The Blackhawks lost their third game in a row overall, with Petr Mrazek making 30 saves. Taylor Raddysh scored in the third period for Chicago, which has been outscored 13-2 during its losing streak.
In No. 1 draft pick Connor Bedard’s first game in Minnesota, it was the Wild’s standout rookie duo playing a big role on Sunday. Rossi, who has been elevated to the top line with Zuccarello and Kirill Kaprizov, scored just 2:11 into the game.
Brock Faber’s shot from the point was deflected by Rossi for his seventh goal of the season. He added his eighth 10 minutes later on the power play after Frederick Gaudreau used a quick pass from the side to Rossi alone in front.
Bedard was the NHL’s rookie of the month in November with six goals and six assists in 12 games and is the Calder Trophy favorite. Rossi now is second among rookies with eight goals, trailing Bedard’s 11.
Sunday marked Rossi’s first career multigoal game. Faber is first among rookies with a plus-7 rating.
Zuccarello made it 3-0 before the end of the first period, and Boldy added his third goal of the season on the power play in the second.
UP NEXT
Blackhawks: Return home against Nashville on Tuesday.
Wild: Start a four-game road trip on Tuesday at Calgary.