ST. PAUL, Minn. _ What a difference 14 days makes.
Considering the ink-stained wretches had to keep watch on the Nashville Predators' score Tuesday night shows how far the Wild have fallen in the past month.
On Feb. 21, the Wild had a comfortable 17-point edge on home-ice advantage in the first round, an edge that still was 15 as of March 1.
That cushion was down to six points over Nashville on Tuesday morning thanks to the Wild's month-long tailspin. Later that night, the Wild was nearly doomed by Alex Ovechkin scorching them with three power-play goals before they mounted a furious comeback to at least force overtime and earn a point before a 5-4 loss.
T.J. Oshie's second goal of the game 1:52 into overtime sent the Wild home in defeat after Eric Staal scored the tying goal with 26.6 seconds left. A cross-ice pass deflected right to him in the left circle. He buried his team-leading 27th goal into a wide-open net.
This came after Jared Spurgeon, who had a three-point night, tied the score with 4:57 left on a knuckling shot.
The Predators, who like the Wild have six games left including one against Minnesota on Saturday, lost in Boston. The Wild's cushion is now seven points on them and the Blues, who have seven games left.
In a game Zach Parise was lost in the first period after being high-sticked at least preciously close to his right eye, the Wild fell to 3-10-2 in the past 15 games with its 11th loss in the past 13 (2-9-2).
Ovechkin, a Wild killer and Devan Dubnyk annihilator, registered his 17th career hat trick and first with all three coming on the power play. All three came after the Wild left him wide-open in his usual left faceoff circle office. He also assisted on Oshie's first-period goal.
Martin Hanzal and Jason Pominville also had a goal and assist for the Wild.
Thirty-four seconds after Oshie gave the Capitals a 1-0 lead in the first period, Parise was skating through the neutral zone when both Parise and Capitals fourth-liner Tom Wilson turned toward each other. Wilson, already skating with his stick up, lifted it right into Parise's face during a bang-bang play.
Parise fell to the ice in a heap and began kicking his legs in agony. After several moments on the ice, Parise, bleeding from around his eye, was helped from the ice. He had to be helped to the bench, where he was met by a team doctor.
As of game's end, the Wild didn't provide an update on Parise, who didn't return to the game.
The Wild drew a four-minute power play. The best revenge would have been to tie the score, at a minimum. Instead, the Wild managed two shots. Later in the period, Chris Stewart fought Wilson and cut him around the right eye.
The Capitals got the 1-0 lead earlier after Ryan White mistakenly tried to catch a puck at the defensive blue line. He didn't, turned it over, and a bunch of stick-checking later by the Wild defense, Oshie scored on a juicy rebound.
Pominville tied the score 2:17 into the second after Hanzal forced a turnover and teed up Pominville in the slot.
But the Wild followed that up by taking three minor penalties in a span of 7:19. The Wild did a quality job killing the first one, but Ovechkin scored his 31st and 32nd goals on the next two.
The Wild did cut the deficit to 3-2 late in the period on Hanzal's second goal in 14 games with the Wild, but Erik Haula took a penalty with 7:39 left in the third.
Eight seconds in, Ovechkin scored his 33rd goal from his typical spot.
Ovechkin also scored the winning goal from the same vicinity in Washington 14 days ago. At the time, Bruce Boudreau bemoaned the fact Pominville left his spot to cover him like glue.
This time, Ovechkin again was uncovered every time from the area he has scored the vast majority of his power play goals.
It was his second career hat trick against Minnesota. In six career games against Dubnyk, Ovechkin has scored 11 goals and 17 points. In 12 career games against the Wild, he has 14 goals and 20 points.
Braden Holtby finished with 26 saves and hit the 40-win mark for the third consecutive season.
The Wild, which not too long ago boasted the NHL's top home power play, went 0 for 5 on the power play with only four shots.
Dubnyk, conversely, failed at winning a franchise-record 38th game and is 1-8-1 in his past 11 starts.
