MONTREAL — Thrust into a starting role for a playoff contender, Minnesota Wild second-year goalie Darcy Kuemper is riding the ups and downs of the game. On Wednesday, he hit one of the ups. After struggling in his previous two starts, Kuemper had an impressive bounce-back game, stopping 18 shots as the Wild beat the Montreal Canadiens 2-1. Left winger Jason Zucker and right winger Jason Pominville both scored unlikely goals as the Wild improved to 8-2-1 at home. Kuemper allowed four goals in each of his two previous starts for Minnesota, which won seven of its last 10. For the Canadiens, goalie Carey Price was busy all night. He finished with 33 saves but did not get enough offensive assistance — the lone Montreal goal scored by center Alex Galchenyuk. Blackhawks 4, Blues 1 Patrick Kane scored twice in the third period, lifting Chicago to a 4-1 win over St Louis. Left winger Kris Versteeg added a goal and two assists and center Marcus Kruger scored for Chicago, which also got 40 saves from goaltender Antti Raanta. Jets 3, Oilers 2 (OT) Winnipeg center Mathieu Perreault scored just 17 seconds into overtime to lift his team to victory over Edmonton. Defenseman Jacob Trouba and right winger Dustin Byfuglien scored in regulation for Winnipeg. Center Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, with his sixth of the year, and left winger David Perron, with his fourth, scored for Edmonton. — Reuters
