The Minnesota Wild stormed into the post-season with a thrilling 4-3 shootout victory over the Eastern Conference-leading Boston Bruins on Tuesday.
Mikko Koivu scored the lone goal of the shootout and goaltender Ilya Bryzgalovstonewalled the Bruins in overtime and the shootout as Minnesota clinched a playoff spot with their third straight win.
The Wild (42-26-12) are tied with sixth-placed Los Angeles on 96 points and will be aiming to improve on last season's first-round playoff exit.
Jason Pominville scored twice and assisted on Ryan Suter's tying goal with a little more than a minute remaining to send the game into overtime, and wins like the one over Boston will certainly help their momentum going into the post-season.
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