The Wild finally snapped out of their slump … and against a last-place opponent, to boot.

After dropping three straight home games to non-playoff teams, the Wild overcame a sudden goalie change and late tying goal by the Blackhawks to prevail, 4-3 in overtime, on Tuesday at United Center without the injured Joel Eriksson Ek.

Mats Zuccarello one-timed in a Marcus Johansson pass 3:09 into 3-on-3 overtime for Zuccarello’s ninth career OT goal and fifth game-winner of the season.

The assist was the second of the night for Johansson, who also scored for the first time in 16 games. Brock Faber picked up three assists, and Vladimir Tarasenko netted his third goal in two games to give the Wild a 3-1 lead after the first period.

But Chicago chipped away at that deficit, scoring once in the second and then again after facing two different Wild goalies.

Filip Gustavsson unexpectedly left the ice with seven minutes remaining in the third period. Jesper Wallstedt stopped two shots in relief before Gustavsson returned with 3:33 to go. Then, with 1:40 left, Connor Bedard set up Frank Nazar for an off-the-rush redirect to extend the game.

That goal, though, put the Wild in their wheelhouse. They won their 10th game in overtime, which is tied for tops in the NHL.

Gustavsson finished with 21 saves to improve to 13-6 on the road. The Wild improved to 20-9-4 away from home as a team.

Eriksson Ek didn’t play after suffering a lower-body injury in the team’s 4-2 loss to Toronto on Sunday. He’s considered day-to-day.

Rookie Danila Yurov stepped up to center Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy on the top line, and coach John Hynes stuck with the Tarasenko, Ryan Hartman and Zuccarello line that nearly rallied the Wild against the Maple Leafs after Tarasenko capitalized twice in 23 seconds in the third period.

How it happened

Hartman opened the scoring, but not alongside Tarasenko and Zuccarello.

He was put out for an offensive-zone faceoff with Kaprizov and Boldy, and the trio delivered: Boldy won the faceoff, Faber passed off to Kaprizov, and Kaprizov’s behind-the-net pass was buried by Hartman just 6:17 into the first period.

It was the Wild’s first first-period lead since their last victory — a 5-0 win over Utah on March 10 — and this was by far the team’s most authoritative start since their skid began with poor first periods against Philadelphia (3-2 shootout loss) and the New York Rangers (4-2 loss).

Michael McCarron set the tone on the first shift of the night, leveling Bedard, and the Wild’s puck luck seemed to be turning when a rebound bounced off McCarron and right to Johansson just 1:41 after Hartman scored. The goal was Johansson’s first since Jan. 15 vs. Winnipeg.

Chicago responded at 10:47 on a long-range slapshot by Louis Crevier that clocked in at 102.54 mph, the hardest shot for a goal in the NHL this season.

But the Wild regained their two-goal cushion with 1:30 to go in the first period on a top-shelf shot by Tarasenko on the Wild’s only power play.

Tarasenko is one goal shy of reaching 20 for the eighth time in his career.

Turning point

The Blackhawks had the Wild under pressure the rest of the night, including right before a goal for Ryan Greene after a rebound stayed loose in front of Gustavsson at 14:45 of the second period.

Then in the third, Gustavsson made an abrupt exit, which also happened in the Wild’s 5-2 win at Colorado on Feb. 26 when he got sick in the third period and threw up in the crease.

But unlike that game, Gustavsson came back, and Chicago greeted him with the tying goal from Nazar.

That meant overtime for the third time this season between the Wild and Blackhawks, and the Wild stayed undefeated.

Zuccarello’s fifth game-winner is tied for the most on the team with Kaprizov and Johansson.

The Wild penalty kill went 2 for 2. Chicago goalie Spencer Knight made 33 saves.

Key stat

The Wild had three goals in the first period for the first time since Boldy’s hat trick in their 6-5 overtime win at Nashville on Feb. 4.

Up next

This home-and-home between the Wild and Blackhawks finishes Thursday at Grand Casino Arena.

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