When you’re locked in a defensive battle, sometimes the simplest play in hockey is to send a big body to the net, hard. Joel Eriksson Ek did just that, making a classic “crash the net” play in the latter half of the third period for the eventual game-winner as the Minnesota Wild made it six vi ctories in a row, winning 5-2 against the Blue Jackets in Columbus, Ohio. Goals by Ryan Hartman and Vladimir Tarasenko helped the Wild overcome an early deficit and a slow start to the second period. They got 26 saves from rookie goalie Jesper Wallstedt, who improved to 10-1-2. “I know as goalies, sometimes we get a lot of credit for shutting down games. But without our team and the way our defense has been playing, and the way our forwards have blocked shots and good stick detail, nothing would have been possible,” Wallstedt said, sharing the credit for his hot start. “It’s a team sport and it’s been a lot of fun. So I hope we can stay dialed in and keep it going.” Zach Werenski had his second consecutive two-goal game for the Blue Jackets, but Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy added late empty-net goals for the Wild. The win came with a number of minor leaguers in key roles, as Minnesota is missing seven regulars due to injury. That included rookie defenseman Carson Lambos, who logged more than 10 minutes in his NHL debut. “I thought it was a good first game for him. I thought he had strong details to his game. He skated well,” Wild coach John Hynes said of Lambos. “Strength wise, he looked good. I thought he played a simple, reliable, good first game. And I think the encouraging things were his skating. He’s got pretty good size, young kid. He’s got good strength on it. And it didn’t seem like he was overwhelmed by the circumstances. So that was good to see.” Minnesota’s top offensive unit — with Kaprizov, Boldy and Eriksson Ek at forward, Brock Faber and Quinn Hughes on defense — had a dominating shift in the Columbus offensive zone, only to see the Blue Jackets turn the tables for the opening period’s only goal. A turnover by the Wild at the offensive blue line sprung Columbus on an odd-man rush the other way, which ended when Werenski zipped a glove-side wrist shot past Wallstedt. The Wild had a sluggish start to the middle frame, with Wallstedt keeping the deficit manageable as Columbus outshot Minnesota 12-1 through the first half of the period. But the Wild’s first power play of the night was productive, with Kaprizov feeding Hartman down low for a quick redirect and a 1-all tie. A fiery pep talk from the coach during a second period TV timeout helped turn the momentum of the game. “We just weren’t ourselves. We’re a team that wins puck battles, is hard on the forecheck, hard on the backcheck, good breakouts and that’s just not at all what we were doing in the second period,” Faber said. “Once we got back to that and that hard work, kind of ‘kick the door in’ mentality, that’s when our skill comes out and obviously that showed in the third.” Minnesota’s all-Russian line clicked to give the visitors a lead via Tarasenko’s third goal in the past two games, set up by linemates Yakov Trenin and Danila Yurov. But Columbus had an answer almost immediately, when Werenski hopped on another Wild turnover and made it 2-all after two periods. “He’s so hard to defend. Just big, rangy, strong skater. You know, he’s tough,” Hynes said of Werenski. “We had him matched up against for the most of the night against Ek’s line. And I thought he defended hard. But…when it turns over and when he can transition, and he gets in the offensive zone, he’s a deadly player.” Jet Greaves finished with 22 saves for Columbus, which split its season series with the Wild by spoiling Minnesota’s home opener back in October, winning 7-4 in St. Paul. With their pre-Christmas road schedule complete, the Wild return to St. Paul for the next three in a row, beginning on Saturday afternoon when they host Edmonton in a 2 p.m. start at Grand Casino Arena. Briefly At the team’s morning skate in Columbus, Hynes gave an update on the team’s lengthy injury roster. Defensemen Jonas Brodin and Jake Middleton, and forwards Mats Zuccarello and Vinni Hinostroza have all resumed skating, and the coach is hopeful that at least a few of them could potentially return for one or both of the Wild’s back-to-back home games on Saturday and Sunday. Defenseman Zach Bogosian and forward Marcus Johansson have not yet begun skating. Hynes commented that it has been “injury after injury” for the most part in his two years as head coach, but he does not recall missing seven regulars at any one time before. Related Articles Blue line injuries mean Carson Lambos’ NHL debut Danila Yurov finding comfort, and points, alongside fellow Russians Twins’ new limited partners include Wild owner Craig Leipold Russian revolution in St. Paul as Wild dominate Capitals Amid the Quinn Hughes hype, Matt Kiersted makes a quiet Wild debut ...read more read less