Gustavsson makes 20 saves, Wild defeat Sabres

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Filip Gustavsson made 20 saves for the Minnesota Wild in their third straight win, 4-1 against the Buffalo Sabres at Xcel Energy Center on Saturday.

The 26-year-old goalie has allowed just two goals during the winning streak; he stopped 28 of 29 in a 3-1 win against the Los Angeles Kings on Monday, then made 34 saves for his fifth shutout of the season in a 4-0 win against the Seattle Kraken on Wednesday.

“It’s good playing behind this team,” Gustavsson said. “They’re sacrificing with blocks and making the right plays at the right time to keep the defense as good as it is right now. They play really good.”

Mats Zuccarello had a goal and an assist, and Marco Rossi and Justin Brazeau also scored for Minnesota (40-25-5), which holds the first wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Western Conference and sits four points behind the Colorado Avalanche for third place in the Central Division.

“We knew we had to play really strong defense against a highly talented offensive team,” Wild coach John Hynes said. “And I thought we did that. I really liked our puck management… our attention to detail was strong. Penalty kill came up big, and I thought they had some really good looks early, too, and Gus was sharp.”

JJ Peterka scored, and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 17 saves for Buffalo (27-35-6), which is 3-7-1 in its past 11.

“I thought we played a model first period,” Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said. “We didn’t make ‘em pay; we could have made ‘em pay, and then we get caught on a little bit of a long shift to start the second. Our ‘D’ didn’t get off the ice. I think when you’re going back slow, we didn’t find coverage right away, didn’t get to the puck and they just kind of set the tone for the period.”

Rossi put Minnesota ahead 1-0 just 56 seconds into the second period, taking a pass from Yakov Trenin at the goal line and beating Luukkonen with a snap shot from the slot. It was his first goal since Feb. 25.

“It's not always easy when you go for a stretch where the puck doesn't go your way,” Rossi said. “But that happens. Just have to stay patient and play your game and stick to it.”

Brazeau extended the lead to 2-0 at 5:07 when he stuffed in a loose puck in front for his first goal with the Wild since he was acquired in a trade with the Boston Bruins on March 6.

Zuccarello made it 3-0 at 8:11 with a snap shot in slot after Matt Boldy drove into the offensive zone and found him with a drop pass.

Peterka cut the deficit to 3-1 at 6:48 of the third period, breaking up Gustavsson’s shutout bid with a wrist shot from the right hash marks off the rush.

“It felt like everyone took the second off, made it way too easy for them,” Peterka said. “Just handed them rush chances after rush chances. They’re a good team so they capitalize on those.”

Frederick Gaudreau scored an empty-net goal for the 4-1 final at 19:27.

NOTES: Buffalo forward Sam Lafferty left in the second period with a groin injury. Ruff said there is a “good chance” he’ll be out Sunday against the Winnipeg Jets. …Sabres forward Jack Quinn was a late scratch for disciplinary measures after missing the team meeting this morning. … Defenseman Jacob Bernard-Docker made his Sabres debut after he was acquired in a trade with the Ottawa Senators on March 7. He played 11:29. … Wild defenseman Jonas Brodin had an assist and was plus-1 in 20:21 after missing the past nine games with a lower-body injury. … Boldy has five points (two goals, three assists) in his last five games.