Toonstruck 1 » Jordan Greenway pumped his fist

WASHINGTON (AP) — Jordan Greenway pumped his fist www.officialcanucks.com , and Luke Kunin held out his arms waiting for teammates to join him.They celebrated like kids after performing like seasoned veterans.With the Minnesota Wild outside a playoff position with little margin for error, the kid line of Kunin, Greenway and Ryan Donato pumped in two crucial goals to beat the defending Stanley Cup champion Washington Capitals 2-1 on Friday night. Minnesota snapped a two-game skid and leapfrogged the Arizona Coyotes and Colorado Avalanche to move into the second wild-card spot in a competitive Western Conference race.“When we have the focus that we did tonight, the confidence, the commitment, I think we can do a lot of good things, and we can beat anyone,” Greenway said. “Whether it’s Washington or whoever, I think we can beat them.”Minnesota fed off the confidence of the second line of 21- and 22-year-olds to hand the Capitals their second consecutive loss. Devan Dubnyk made 21 saves, but more impressive was the Wild holding Washington to 22 shots a game after it put up 58 on NHL-leading Tampa Bay.“That was just a playoff game,” Dubnyk said. “The focus was there.”Donato — acquired from Boston in February — was the best player on the ice for much of the night and assisted on the Greenway’s goal in the first period and Kunin’s go-ahead goal with 7:35 left in the third. Coach Bruce Boudreau believes having three young players on a line together gets rid of the expectation to pass to a veteran, and this mix is working lately.“We’re learning from each other Vancouver Canucks T-Shirts Authentic ,” Donato said. “I think we’re starting to get each other’s habits, where we’re going to be on the ice, where the other guys are going to be, where they like to pass to. Being able to learn with each other, it makes you feel comfortable on the ice. You don’t feel like you’re doing anything wrong.”It wasn’t a masterpiece, but Minnesota needed two points in any way possible. Returning to face the team that gave him his start in the NHL, Boudreau knew full well that with only two games Friday night, the Wild were the only ones who could gain ground after getting some help from a Coyotes loss on Thursday.Remembering his team’s recent roller-coaster play, Boudreau said the victory only “means temporarily we’re in a playoff spot.”The Capitals are in a good spot atop the Metropolitan Division, but have now lost four of six. They missed an opportunity to add to their division lead and still lead the New York Islanders and Pittsburgh Penguins by four points.“We didn’t play our game at all,” captain Alex Ovechkin said. “We knew they were going to play desperate — they need points as we do — but I think the sense of urgency was on their side, not on our side.”Brett Connolly scored his 21st goal of the season and Braden Holtby made 25 saves for Washington Vancouver Canucks Hoodies Authentic , which didn’t have the same intensity as its showdown against the Lightning two days earlier.“After coming off some emotional games lately, I think we didn’t ramp it up enough for this one, for their situation, how they were playing,” Holtby said.Despite losing seven of their previous nine games, the Wild remain in control of their playoff hopes with seven games remaining.“It’s never easy when it’s out of your control, so for us having it in our control and getting a win like that, it’s definitely a feel-good win,” Donato said.NOTES: Minnesota improved to 20-15-2 on the road. … Donato’s primary assist on Greenway’s goal was the 10,000th point in Wild franchise history. … Connolly has 13 points in his past 16 games. … Washington’s power play went 0 for 3 with just one shot in those six minutes. … Capitals D Christian Djoos returned to the lineup to replace Michal Kempny, who’s out indefinitely with a lower-body injury. … LW Carl Hagelin was a late scratch with an illness and was replaced by Chandler Stephenson. … Ovechkin remained two goals away from his eighth career 50-goal season.UP NEXTWild: Visit the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday in Victor Rask’s first game against his former team since being traded for Nino Niederreiter.Capitals: Look to end their brief losing streak Sunday when they host the Metropolitan Division-rival Philadelphia Flyers. LOS ANGELES (AP) — Battered, bruised and playing on the second night of a back-to-back Vancouver Canucks Hats Authentic , it would have been understandable if the youthful Vancouver Canucks gave up ground in their surprising playoff push.Instead, the Canucks found a way to beat the Los Angeles Kings.Elias Pettersson and Brock Boeser scored in a shootout after Adam Gaudette tied it up with 1:38 remaining in the third period to give the Canucks a 4-3 win over the Kings on Thursday night.“I was worried that we’d be emotionally maybe a little low today just because we put a lot on the table last night,” Canucks coach Travis Green said, referencing the 1-0 loss at Anaheim on Wednesday. “Not just emotionally. Physically it was a tough game, and to win a game like that can lift a team.”Playing without defenseman Christopher Tanev and forward Jake Virtanen because of injuries sustained against the Ducks, the Canucks got typical contributions from Pettersson and Boeser, who each scored in regulation.But it was Gaudette who grabbed the loose puck and scored on a wrist shot from the left circle to ensure the Canucks earned at least one point, playing as the extra attacker in a role that might have gone to a healthy Virtanen under normal circumstances.“It’s really nice for Adam to get rewarded and that’s what happened,” said goalie Jacob Markstrom, who never saw the tying goal as he was still getting settled on the bench. “Ice time is up for grabs and he’s out there for 6-on-5 and scores a huge goal for us. It was a team comeback.”Markstrom made 35 saves through overtime, before allowing a shootout goal to Ilya Kovalchuk and then stopping Anze Kopitar and Adrian Kempe as the Canucks ended their four-game road losing streak.Alec Martinez had a goal and an assist for the Kings, who had not played at home since Jan. 21 because of the All-Star Game Custom Vancouver Canucks Jerseys , bye week and a six-game road trip while Staples Center hosted the Grammys. Jonathan Quick made 24 saves.Martinez had put the Kings ahead 10:59 into the third period when Markstrom was unable to stop the wobbly shot from the blue line through traffic.The Canucks were able to respond in the pressure of the moment, showing the growth Green believes can only come from being in the playoff chase. Vancouver moved into a tie with Minnesota for the second wild-card in the Western Conference.“Mindset is different when you are out of it,” Green said. “You can still play in those games at this time of year, but if there’s not something on the line then you don’t feel pressure and it’s not the same thing. For our young guys to go through this, it means a lot. We hope we make it. We hope we’re there at the end. But we’re learning as we go.”For the Kings, they earned a point for the fifth time in six games but remain last in the Western Conference and seven points behind the Canucks and Wild.“I think we’ve just got to learn from this stuff,” Martinez said. “I think we’ve been practicing better as of late and that’s translated to games, but like I said we need points right now.”NOTES: Tanev was placed on injured reserve and will return to Vancouver for further evaluation of an ankle injury, Green said, while Virtanen did not play because of an upper-body injury. . Boeser became the fifth Canucks player to have multiple 20-goal seasons before turning 22-years-old. … Kings F Kyle Clifford had two assists. … Canucks D Guillame Brisebois had a minus-2 rating in 9:24 in his NHL debut.