Rem Pitlick’s hat trick powers Wild past Kraken | Brainerd Dispatch

Nico Sturm also scored, Ryan Hartman had three assists and Cam Talbot made 28 saves for the Wild, who improved to 5-1-0 this month.

Marcus Johansson and Alex Wennberg each had a goal and an assist for the Kraken, losers of six of their past seven games. Philipp Grubauer stopped 18 of 21 shots.

The 24-year-old Pitlick, a third-round draft pick by Nashville in 2016 who was acquired off waivers from the Predators on Oct. 5, was playing in his fifth game for Minnesota and the 16th of his NHL career.

The Wild opened the scoring at 12:33 of the first period.

Hartman charged down the left wing to corral a loose puck deep in Seattle’s end and sent a backhanded pass to the top of the crease, where Pitlick tipped it past Grubauer. Alex Goligoski also was credited with an assist on the play.

Pitlick’s second goal came at 7:44 of the second period after Hartman forced a turnover in the neutral zone. Pitlick picked up the puck just outside the Kraken blue line, skated in on a breakaway and put a forehander past a sprawling Grubauer.

Pitlick capped the natural hat trick with another breakaway at 19:20 of the second. Hartman gained control of the puck in his own zone and sent a pass to Pitlick just outside the Seattle blue line. Pitlick skated in on Grubauer, faked a backhander and slid the puck into the open side of the net on his forehand.

The Kraken avoided the shutout when Johansson scored his first of the season, a power-play goal at 9:19 of the third. Jordan Eberle sent the puck to Wennberg at the right faceoff dot and he threaded a pass across the top of the crease to Johansson, who tipped it into the net.

Sturm restored the Wild’s three-goal lead with an empty-netter at 14:54.

Wennberg tallied at 18:58 to cap the scoring.