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.

Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews addressed concerns regarding the significant decline in the team's offensive production following their third consecutive loss, a 3-1 defeat to the Minnesot

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.

For the third consecutive outing, all the Leafs could manage was a single goal versus their opponent, dropping a 3-1 decision to the Wild.

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.

Wild 3, Maple Leafs 1

The Toronto Maple Leafs dropped a 3-1 decision against the Minnesota Wild at the Scotiabank Arena on Wednesday night.

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

BOTTOM LINE: The Montreal Canadiens look to break a three-game skid when they take on the Minnesota Wild. Montreal has a 13-9-4 record at home and a 24-21-5 record overall. The Canadiens have gone 10-2-3 in games decided by a single goal.

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.