Before the Wild’s game Saturday against the New York Rangers at Xcel Energy Center, Minnesota head coach Dean Evason expressed optimism that his team would be ready from the drop of the first puck.

New York Rangers right wing Jimmy Vesey (26) scores a goal past Minnesota Wild goalie Filip Gustavsson (32) next to Wild defenseman Jacob Middleton (5) during the first period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Craig Lassig)

Asked how he would know, after just a few shifts, if the team was indeed ready, Evason said, “If we don’t get scored on. How’s that?”

Evason got his answer, but it wasn’t the one he wanted.

The NHL’s hottest team steamrolled the Wild early, scoring three goals in the first 6 minutes, 53 seconds to take control early, 3-0, and it looked like more of the same for a Minnesota team that entered with a four-game losing streak.

But the Wild rallied with four straight goals to send the game to overtime — and take a 4-3 lead on Marco Rossi’s one-timer off a rush at 6:20 of the third period — and Mats Zucarello and Matt Boldy scored in the shootout as Minnesota beat the Rangers, 5-4, at Xcel Energy Center for their first win this month.

Ryan Hartman, Joel Eriksson Ek and Mats Zuccarello scored to pull the Wild even, 3-3, less than two minutes into the third period, and Marco Rossi scored the go-ahead goal on a one-timer from the slot at 5:20 of the third period — Kirill Kaprizov found him with a dead-eye pass from the left wall.

Marc-Andre Fleury, who replaced Filip Gustavsson after the starter allowed three first-period goals on five shots, stopped 13 of 14 shots — 3 of 4 in the shootout to seal the Wild’s first win since beating Edmonton here on Oct. 24.

New York brought a six-game winning streak into the game but was without two of its best players; star defenseman Adam Fox and second-line center Filip Chytil were placed on injured reserve Friday. Still, the Rangers broke the seal early when Artemi Panarin threw an entry pass at Jimmy Vesey, who was charging the net with Jake Middleton on his back. Panarin’s pass hit Panarin’s skate and past Gustavsson for a 1-0 lead at 3:36.

Just more than two minutes later, Panarin threw a quick sweeper on net from the right circle over Gustavsson that found the net to make it 2-0 at 5:52. Then Erik Gustaffson scored on a one-timer from the left circle to make it 2-0 at 6:53.

At that point, Evason pulled Gustavsson for Fleury, and the Wild buckled down, drawing three straight penalties — although they failed to score during nearly six combined minutes with a man advantage. The last power play was halted when Zuccarello was called for high sticking with 19 seconds left.

The Wild killed the Rangers’ ensuing power play, a plus after giving up three power play goals in a 5-3 loss to the New Jersey Devils on Thursday and entered the game with the NHL’s worst penalty kill — 12 goals-against, 63.6 percent success rate.

Better, Minnesota kept the play in New York’s zone for most of the next 30-plus minutes. By the time Rossi scored to make it 4-3 Wild, Minnesota was outshooting New York 30-14.

Hartman scored when he poked a Marcus Johansson shot that was sitting at the red line past Jonathan Quick to make it 3-1 at 5:57 of the second period, and before the goal could be announced on the PA, Eriksson Ek one-timed a Brock Faber pass into an empty corner to make it 3-2 at 6:26.

Zuccarello tied the game on a rebound from the crease less than two minutes into the third period, and Rossi gave Minnesota its first lead at 5:20.

But New York tied the game, 4-4, when Chris Kreider scored another long goal for the Rangers, this one on a slap shot from just under the Wild’s blue line that beat a shielded Fleury at 6:20.

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