A generation ago, the NHL's troubled Norris Division was home to lunch-pail teams from Chicago, Detroit, St. Louis, Minnesota and Toronto, as well as hard-fought games between the Maple Leafs and a green-and-gold team from the Twin Cities everyday event.

While the Minnesota Wild wore their green and gold sweaters that pay homage to the North Stars, those beloved Norris residents of 40 years ago, the Maple Leafs put up a fight reminiscent of a night at the Met Center circa 1978.

In the end, after a seemingly endless series of line rushes, intercepted passes and deflected pucks that somehow stayed out of the net, Matt Boldy's overtime goal gave the Wild a 2-1 victory in their only meeting with Toronto in Minnesota this season .

Although the defensive battle of the first 60 minutes was a throwback to the days of disco and Jimmy Carter, the open 3-on-3 overtime was very 2024.

Midway through the sudden-death session, Wild defenseman Jared Spurgeon and all three Maple Leafs who were on the ice chased a puck through the neutral zone.

Spurgeon won the race by firing the puck up the ice to Boldy, who had been left all alone at the blue line. He completed his solo rush to the net by making a few misleading stick moves and then firing the puck high over Toronto goaltender Anthony Stolarz.

“I had a few breakaways and shots and none of them went in, so I thought I would change it up a little bit,” Boldy said. “But yeah, I just took a step and trusted it.”

Toronto had played and lost in St. Louis on Saturday night, and the Wild pounced early on a seemingly tired group of visitors, taking the lead on Ryan Hartman's third goal of the season after a scramble in front of the Toronto goal. The Maple Leafs tied the score on the power play late in the first period and dominated much of the second period, allowing Wild goaltender Filip Gustavsson to make 11 of his 27 saves on the night.

Wild coach John Hynes discussed the necessary adjustments with his team after 40 minutes. The Wild listened, controlled the game for much of the third period and found the winner in overtime.

“What I like to emphasize with the team is the ability to say between periods of play, 'Here's what's going on, here's what we need to do,' and the mindset of the players,” Hynes said after his statement Team had improved to 8 -1-2. “They’re alert, they’re ready and I thought we played a much more connected game in the third period.”

It was also a night of some unfriendly reunions between teams that only see each other twice a season, with the exception of a meeting in the Stanley Cup Final.

Former Wild Hartman Ryan Reaves battled with Hartman in the second period, with both men serving rough penalties. Former Gophers teammates Matthew Knies (now on Toronto's top line) and Brock Faber (now eating up minutes on the Wild blue line) had a pair of encounters, with Faber thwarting Knies' power play positioning attempts and Knies giving Faber a hard hit late in the game .

Hartman almost broke the night's defensive theme when he delivered a highlight reel in the second period by coming around the back of the net with the puck on his raised stick and attempting the “Michigan” goal before Maple Leafs defenseman Simon Benoit thwarted the game.

“This is the last time I ever try this,” Hartman said, then balked a little. “It was (close). I rushed it a bit and panicked. But on the first and last try…probably.”

Toronto parried Stolarz 31 times and overall seemed happy to at least get a point and get on a plane to Ontario.

“We were a little down in the third period and converted a lot of penalties,” Leafs coach Craig Berube said. “We were gassed, but (Stolarz) stood up for us. That was a good point.”

The Wild have Monday off before hosting the Los Angeles Kings on election night.