Chicago Wolves End Four-Game Skid With Shootout Win Over Iowa Wild

The Wolves snapped a four-game losing streak by rallying to stun the Iowa Wild 4-3 in a shootout Wednesday night at Casey's Center in Des Moines, a result that carried extra weight given the context: three days earlier, that same Iowa team had handed Chicago its fourth consecutive defeat.

Noel Gunler delivered the decisive blow in the shootout to secure the extra point for the Wolves. It was a fitting moment for Gunler, who had been central to the series storyline already. In Sunday's 6-4 loss at Allstate Arena, Petersen was tossed from the game for spearing Wolves forward Noel Gunler, handed a major penalty as well as a game misconduct that ended his night — yet Iowa still rallied to win that contest. Wednesday's shootout winner gave Gunler the last word across both games. Gunler, who had cut into a deficit with a power-play goal earlier in the season, crashing the net to clean up a loose puck in the crease for his 13th goal, has been one of Chicago's most reliable finishers in tight situations all year.

The backdrop to Wednesday's result makes it all the more significant. Iowa had reeled off scores by Rasmus Kumpulainen, Caedan Bankier, Riley Heidt and Gambrell in the third period to take control of Sunday's game, while Amir Miftakhov took the loss in goal. Chicago had dropped to 29-19-6-6 on the season following that defeat, with the skid encompassing losses to the Texas Stars and Rockford IceHogs as well. The Wolves' woes had included a 4-2 fall to the Rockford IceHogs on Saturday night at Allstate Arena, part of a stretch that had visibly eroded Chicago's standing in the Central Division race.

Wednesday's comeback in Des Moines required the Wolves to dig deep in regulation before forcing overtime and ultimately settling the contest in the shootout. The rally and the shootout victory format meant Chicago collected two crucial standings points at a moment when the calendar leaves little margin for error.

The win marked the second time this season the Wolves and Wild have gone to a shootout, a reminder of how evenly matched these Central Division opponents have been. Evan Vierling, Charles Alexis Legault, Ryan Suzuki and Ronan Seeley have all contributed offensively for Chicago in this stretch of games against Iowa, giving the Wolves the offensive depth to stay in close contests even when the defense has faltered.

With games against Iowa and Rockford still on the schedule before April, stopping the bleeding Wednesday was not just a morale victory. It was a necessary step toward staying relevant in a crowded playoff picture.