WASHINGTON – Two games against two playoff-bound teams in two nights on the road?
Not a problem for the surging Wild.
After dispatching the Hurricanes, the Wild overwhelmed the Capitals 5-1 on Sunday at Capital One Arena to sweep the first half of a four-game road trip that now turns the attention back to the team's own division.
Overall, the Wild has won nine games during a 10-game point streak that is tied for its longest of the season.
Jordan Greenway, Joel Eriksson Ek and Marcus Foligno dominated, and the Wild is now 25-7-4 when that line plays.
Foligno had a goal and assist while Greenway and Eriksson Ek totaled three points apiece, with Eriksson Ek's first of two goals part of an early blitz by the Wild. Goalie Cam Talbot turned aside 25 shots to improve to 9-0-1 over his past 10 starts.
The Wild widened its lead for second place in the Central Division to five points ahead of key matchups against rivals Nashville (Tuesday) and No. 3 St. Louis (Thursday).
While the Wild was finishing off a back-to-back, Washington was in action for the first time since Monday and the Capitals looked rusty at the beginning.
The Wild stumped them on its first two shots, converting twice in 1 minute, 1 second.
Greenway tipped an Alex Goligoski outlet pass up ice for an Eriksson Ek breakaway just 36 seconds into the first period. Two shifts later, Tyson Jost kept the shot on a 2-on-1 for his first goal with the Wild since a trade last month from the Avalanche.
These counted as the second-fastest pair of goals from the start of a game (1:37) in Wild history, behind only the two from Kyle Brodziak and Andrew Brunette on Feb. 3, 2011 (1:01).
Jost's goal was his second point in as many games and the 79th the Wild has recorded in the first period this season, a franchise record.
Washington increased the pressure as the period progressed, but Talbot was airtight.
Same in the second, although the period featured a slowdown for both sides with an offensive lull headlining the frame until a quick outburst from the Wild led to another goal.
At 13:07, Eriksson Ek caught a piece of a Greenway rebound for his 21st goal, establishing a new career high after Eriksson Ek racked up 19 last season.
Then, 30 seconds into the third period, Foligno wired in a Greenway pass from between the circles to snap an 11-game goalless drought.
Foligno became the Wild's sixth 20-goal scorer, which eclipsed the previous franchise record of five set in 2006-07. The Wild is only the third team in the NHL with six or more 20-goal scorers, with the Panthers and Blues the others.
Overall, the Greenway, Eriksson Ek and Foligno trio combined for eight points.
Greenway's three assists were a career high, and his three points tied his personal best from earlier this season (Nov. 30 vs. the Coyotes). Eriksson Ek's three points also matched his career high, and he has eight points in his past seven games. As for Foligno, his assist marked a new career high (16), and this was his fourth multipoint effort of the season.
Like Marc-Andre Fleury on Saturday in the 3-1 win at Carolina, Talbot didn't have his shutout bid extinguished until late.
With 9:32 to go, Garnet Hathaway tipped in an Alex Ovechkin shot during a delayed Wild penalty before the Wild's Nic Deslauriers dumped the puck into an empty net at 17:15.
The Capitals went 0-for-1 on the power play and the Wild 0-for-3. Washington goalie Vitek Vanecek made 14 saves.
