ST. PAUL — A moment after David Krejci shot the puck, a backchecking Nino Niederreiter hurtled into the net and knocked it off its pegs. Because of Neiderreiter’s impact, Krejci couldn’t tell for certain if the puck he shot had crossed the line.

His instinct, however, said it did.

“I actually didn’t really see it when it happened,’’ said Krejci. “But the way it happened, you kind of put it together, and I knew there was a pretty good chance it was going to be a goal. Luckily, that’s what happened.’’

Video replay confirmed that Krejci’s shot, coming off a David Pastrnak dish, went over the line before Niederreiter dislodged the net. It was the critical goal in the Bruins’ 4-2 win over the reeling Minnesota Wild (1-11-2 in their last 14 games) at Xcel Energy Center on Saturday. Krejci scored just 35 seconds after Thomas Vanek had tied the game, 1-1.

Krejci’s goal knocked the air out of the Wild. They never caught their breath.

“That’s the second game in a row where we’ve done that,’’ said coach Claude Julien, referring to Brad Marchand’s tie-busting goal in Thursday’s 6-2 win over Winnipeg. “I’ve liked the response of our team lately. When we’ve been scored on, it’s not about hanging our heads. It’s more about, ‘Let’s get the next one right away.’ That was a good response on our part.’’

The Bruins are now 2-0 on their six-game trip. They’ll push for their third straight win on Sunday in Detroit. The status of their best player is in question.

The Bruins needed Krejci’s game-breaking goal in more ways than one. For the first time this season, the Bruins were without Patrice Bergeron. The No. 1 center was unavailable because of an undisclosed injury that most likely took place during his fight with ex-teammate Blake Wheeler on Thursday. Bergeron is considered day to day and was scheduled to travel with his teammates to Detroit on Saturday afternoon ahead of Sunday’s game at Joe Louis Arena.

Bergeron has been the Bruins’ top performer. He’s done everything: control top opponents during five-on-five play, serve as the bumper on the No. 1 power-play unit, and kill penalties alongside Marchand.

Without Bergeron, Krejci had to assume No. 1 center status. He did it well.

“He had it going,’’ Julien said. “You could tell right from the get-go in the first period that he had things going here. We all know when David decides to play, he could play by himself on a line and still make things happen. He was a real good player for us today, especially in Bergy’s absence.’’

Krejci played 20:53, trailing only Zdeno Chara (23:50). He landed three pucks on net, with one slipping behind Darcy Kuemper. Krejci won 12 of 17 faceoffs. In the first period, he helped spring Marchand for his 12th goal in 12 games.

With Zac Rinaldo serving a high-sticking penalty, Marchand triggered a rush by carrying the puck through center ice. Marchand backhanded a pass to Krejci, then slipped behind Matt Dumba and Ryan Suter to get to the far post. Krejci, anticipating Marchand’s flight plan, saucered the puck through the Wild and onto his temporary partner’s stick. Marchand had an easy tap-in for his fourth shorthanded goal of the season.

“We talked a little bit in the room and before we were out there,’’ Marchand said. “The big thing is communication, talking to each other, and letting each other know where we are. He made a great play there. It’s fun to watch.’’

In the third period, Loui Eriksson stretched the Bruins’ lead to 3-1. After taking a pass from Ryan Spooner, Eriksson slipped behind the Minnesota defenders and snapped a backhander past Kuemper (15 saves). Chara added an empty-netter at 18:18.

At the other end, Jonas Gustavsson made his first start since Jan. 26 against Anaheim. Gustavsson had to leave that game after 20 minutes because of an elevated heart rate. The Bruins had to place Gustavsson on injured reserve because of his condition.

After backing up Tuukka Rask for the last five games, Gustavsson submitted a 31-save performance against the Wild. Gustavsson left some rebounds in less-than-ideal places. He couldn’t slow down a rim behind his net, which led to Vanek’s tying goal.

But Gustavsson is now 10-3-1 over 17 appearances.

“He’s been up to the task every time we’ve asked him to for a goaltender who doesn’t play that much,’’ Julien said. “He comes in really well-prepared. He’s done a good job for us. With Bergy out, how can players not buckle down here and play hard in his absence? We know what he gives us every night. There’s no doubt he’s feeling bad about not being able to help us right now. It’s important for us to make him feel a lot better by going out there and playing the way we did this afternoon.’’

Fluto Shinzawa can be reached at fshinzawa@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @GlobeFluto.