Minnesota Wild bench boss John Hynes pulled off one of the gutsiest moves by an NHL head coach, pulling his goalie in overtime Sunday against the Nashville Predators.
The move worked: Matt Boldy blasted home the game-winner moments later.
THE WILD PULLED THE GOALIE IN OT FOR THE EXTRA ATTACKER AND IT PAID OFF 😱🚨 pic.twitter.com/QRdkiEEqZP
— Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) March 10, 2024
By rule, if the Predators had scored on the empty net to win the game in overtime, the Wild wouldn't have received a point for the OT loss.
Minnesota entered the game trailing Nashville by 10 points for the first wild-card spot in the Western Conference (and fourth in the Central Division), so securing two points was paramount.
"One point, no point, it's not doing us any good," Hynes said postgame, per The Athletic's Michael Russo. "Two points are what we need."
He added: "We're here to win, right?"
Wild forward Ryan Hartman was aware of the rule, but said afterward that he loved the decision by Hynes.
