Squaring off with nearly identical records entering Wednesday’s contest, the Toronto Maple Leafs were presented with a key opportunity to get out of a rut against a quality Minnesota Wild team, with a four-game road trip on the horizon before the 4 Nations Face-Off break.

Jared Spurgeon and Marat Khusnutdinov scored in the first period, Filip Gustavsson stopped 31 shots, and the Minnesota Wild beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-1 on Wednesday night. Marcus Foligno added an empty-netter in the final minute as Minnesota won its second straight to improve to 3-5-0 in their last eight games.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have struggled to score goals during their recent three-game losing streak, prompting forward William Nylander to voice his frustration after Wednesday's 3-1 loss to the Minnes

Jared Spurgeon scored what turned out to be the winning goal in the first period and the visiting Minnesota Wild went on to defeat the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-1 on Wednesday night.

Filip Gustavsson made 31 saves as the Minnesota Wild edged Toronto 3-1 on Wednesday, sending the Maple Leafs to a third straight regulation loss.

MINNEAPOLIS — Jared Spurgeon and Marat Khusnutdinov ... second straight to improve to 3-5-0 in their last eight games. William Nylander scored for Toronto, which has lost three straight in ...

The Minnesota Wild got off to a strong start during a 3-1 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena last night. (Wednesday) Marat Khusnutdinov and Jared Spurgeon

Jared Spurgeon and Marat Khusnutdinov scored in the first period and Filip Gustavsson stopped 31 shots for Minnesota.

Brothers Jack Hughes and Luke Hughes each collected a goal and an assist as the New Jersey Devils scored four times in the second period and rolled to a 5-0 rout of the visiting Philadelphia Flyers on Wednesday night in Newark,

William Wallinder was named the first star for the Grand Rapids Griffins in a 4-1 victory over the Rockford IceHogs.

Brothers Jack Hughes and Luke Hughes each collected a goal and an assist as the New Jersey Devils scored four times in the second period and rolled to a 5-0 rout of the visiting Philadelphia Flyers on Wednesday night in Newark,

The message, clearly, was received and understood, as Hynes’ team put together a 60-minute effort for its latest in a notable resume of road wins this season. The Wild got a pair of first period goals and played a strong defensive game in a 3-1 win in Toronto, beating the Maple Leafs in regulation for the first time since 2019.