ST. PAUL, Minn. -- The Minnesota Wild found out during the second intermission their spot in the playoffs was secure. Satisfaction came only after they won their way in with a strong finish. Mikko Koivu had the only score in the shootout after Ryan Suters goal tied the game with 65 seconds remaining in regulation, and the Wild beat the Boston Bruins 4-3 on Tuesday night to clinch a wild-card spot in the Western Conference playoffs. "We wanted to get in the right way," said right wing Jason Pominville, who had two goals and an assist. "We stuck to it and found a way to score one late, and I think its a sign of a good team when you get in the right way against the best team in the NHL right now." Koivu, who had two assists, switched to his backhand to flip the puck past Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask in the second round. When goalie Ilya Bryzgalov stopped Brad Marchands try with his pad to end it, he pumped his arms as he skated out of the crease to celebrate with his teammates. The Wild will be the seventh seed and face the division winner with the fewest points. "The message was, Lets not wait for anything. Lets not back our way into anything. Lets not come through the back door. Lets go charging through the front door," coach Mike Yeo said. "And what a better way to do it against a team like Boston." As play was about to begin for the third period, the overtime loss by ninth-place Phoenix at Columbus that guaranteed a place in the post-season for Minnesota was announced to the crowd and received with a hearty cheer. The Wild then went a step further by assuring themselves of the top wild-card slot by rallying for the win. They kept up the pressure in overtime after Suters delivery, outshooting the Bruins 6-2 in overtime. Reilly Smith, Patrice Bergeron and Loui Eriksson scored for the Bruins, who fell to 16-1-3 in their past 20 games. The Bruins, who clinched the No. 1 seed for the Eastern Conference playoffs, held leading scorer Jarome Iginla out for the third time in the past four games because of a lower-body injury. Iginla became the biggest threat to the Wild during his days with then-division rival Calgary. His 67 points, including 37 goals, in 71 career games are the most by any Minnesota opponent. "Try to get some rest for certain guys and still try to play good hockey," Rask said. "Theres still something to play for. But its not always easy to find that 100 per cent perfect game in these situations." Late in the second period, Zdeno Chara wound up from the point on a power play. Eriksson and Gregory Campbell were parked just outside the crease, and the puck appeared to deflect first off Campbells stick before Eriksson poked it in for the lead with 3:42 left before the break. That didnt mean they were playing their best, though. "I felt we were a little sloppy tonight. We werent very sharp in our passing and our playmaking," coach Claude Julien said. "We didnt have everybody really playing that well. Some of our big players were just very average." Bryzgalov, the latest unlikely leader to emerge for the Wild, made 44 saves over the past two games to blank Pittsburgh and Winnipeg and put Minnesota on the brink of the post-season. His shutout streak ended at 145 minutes and 15 seconds, when Smith sent in an unassisted power-play goal for his 20th score this season. But Bryzgalov, who took over for Darcy Kuemper when the rookie suffered an upper-body injury last month, improved to 7-0-3 since arriving at the trade deadline. "The quicker you can clinch, the better it is," an impressed Julien said. Last season, the Wild limped to the No. 8 seed by winning their final game to finish 5-8-1 in April. This time, theyll have more momentum. "We played ourselves into the playoffs the way that you want to. It says a lot about the guys in here, and hopefully we can keep this thing going here," Suter said. NOTES: Wild goalie Josh Harding, the winner of the NHLs Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy last year for perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to the sport, was announced Tuesday as the teams repeat nominee for the award. Harding has been on injured reserve since Jan. 2, continuing to deal with multiple sclerosis, but returned to practice with the Wild last Wednesday. ... Bergeron has 10 goals in his past 11 games. Mookie Wilson Jersey . The ninth-seeded Safarova doused Swede Johanna Larsson 6-2, 6-3 on the green clay at Family Circle Tennis Center. The Czech player was a finalist here two years ago and captured back-to-back doubles titles in 2012 and last year. Nolan Ryan Mets Jersey . Dont miss a single shot, live on TSN beginning at 7pm et/4pm pt. Winners of their last eight games, the Heat return to Toronto for the second time in the month of November. After beginning the season 4-3, allowing 100.9 points on 47 per cent shooting, Miamis resurgent defence has vaulted them back to the top of a weak Eastern Conference. http://www.metsbaseballauthentic.com/tug-mcgraw-mets-jersey/. People familiar with the case told The Associated Press on Friday that arbitrator Fredric Horowitz could issue his decision this weekend. Devin Mesoraco Jersey . Each day, TSN.ca provides the latest rumours, reports and speculation from around the NHL beat. Keeping The Captain? Brian Giontas agent Steve Bartlett told La Presse on Tuesday that the Montreal Canadiens want to keep their captain - an unrestricted free agent on July 1 - in the fold, while sources tell the paper that the two sides will start talks this week. Yoenis Cespedes Jersey . Masahiro Tanaka has touched down in the United States and the courting of the Rakuten Golden Eagles stud pitcher has begun in earnest by a bevy of MLB teams interested in the Japanese ace.SAN JOSE - The Montreal Canadiens were unable to pick up a win in Thomas Vaneks debut, and the Habs hope to avoid a third loss in four games when they shoot for a rare win tonight in San Jose. You can listen to all the action on TSN 690 Montreal beginning at 10pm et. The Canadiens acquired Vanek from the New York Islanders just before Wednesdays trade deadline and the Austrian winger played his first game with Montreal in Thursdays 5-2 loss at Phoenix. Vanek failed to register a point and had one shot on net in the setback. Vanek, a four-time 30-goal scorer, does have six goals in eight career games against the Sharks and hell try to lead Montreal to its first win in San Jose since a 3-2 overtime win on Nov. 23, 1999. The Habs have lost six in a row at the Shark Tank since that victory over 14 years ago and have dropped seven of the past 10 overall meetings in this series. Although the Canadiens have lost two of their last three games, the club is currently in playoff position in the Eastern Conference thanks to its status as the second-place team in the Atlantic Division. The top three clubs in each division earn an automatic bid to the postseason and the Canadiens are currently three points ahead of third-place Toronto in the Atlantic. The Canadiens were handed a 5-2 setback in the desert on Thursday, as Radim Vrbata scored two goals to help Phoenix snnap a 14-game winless streak against the Canadiens.dddddddddddd Andrei Markov and Alex Galchenyuk had the goals for Montreal. Peter Budaj allowed five goals on 23 shots in defeat. With No. 1 netminder Carey Price still on the shelf with a lower-body injury, the Habs could go with Budaj again tonight. Montreal has a 17-13-2 record as the guest this season and is capping a four- game road trip tonight. The Sharks, meanwhile, are 6-2-1 since the start of February and the second- place club in the Pacific Division is coming off Thursdays 5-3 home win over the Pittsburgh Penguins. Brent Burns scored twice during San Joses four-goal third period as the Sharks downed the top team in the Eastern Conference, beating the Pens for the 11th straight time on home ice. Joe Pavelski assisted on three San Jose goals and Antti Niemi stopped 19 Pittsburgh shots. The Sharks trailed 2-0 after the first period, but cut that deficit to one by the end of 40 minutes before surging to the win in the final stanza. "We got physical and that just totally turned the game," said Sharks captain Joe Thornton. The Sharks are playing the third test of a four-game homestand on Saturday and will complete the stay at SAP Center with Tuesdays meeting against Toronto. San Jose boasts a phenomenal 23-4-4 record on home ice this season. ' ' '