Minnesota 3, Arizona 1
When: 9:00 PM ET, Saturday, April 8, 2017
Where: Gila River Arena, Glendale, Arizona
Referees:
Kyle Rehman, Ian Walsh
Linesmen:
Brandon Gawryletz, Vaughan Rody
Attendance:
17490
By The Sports Xchange
GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Minnesota Wild coach Bruce Boudreau expressed little concern over his team's 4-10-2 March swoon that allowed the Chicago Blackhawks to climb past Minnesota and secure the Central Division title and the Western Conference's top seed.
"Once the playoffs come, everybody's got a different mindset," Boudreau said. "I don't think they're going to think of slumps or not being able to score or anything else. They're just going to be thinking about playing the right way and winning."
The Wild may be back on that track.
Erik Haula, Eric Staal and Martin Hanzal scored and Darcy Kuemper made 20 saves as the Wild finished the regular season with its fourth straight victory, a 3-1 decision over the Arizona Coyotes on Saturday at Gila River Arena.
Minnesota is 11-1-2 in the past 14 games against Arizona and has at least one point in 11 straight games, equaling the longest point streak against one opponent in franchise history. The Wild set franchise records with its 49th victory and 106th point.
"It tells you that we've been able to be consistent for the most part," Wild center Mikko Koivu said. "Toward the end, we got our game back and I think we've been playing some good hockey; getting better for the last two weeks and that's what we wanted."
The loss was the first in regulation for the Coyotes in their last five games (3-1-1). Brendan Perlini scored and Mike Smith made 41 saves for Arizona in a largely listless effort.
"That's probably how you'd expect it to be played when you're not in the playoffs and it's the last game of the season," Smith said. "I think a lot of guys were mentally checked out and have been for quite some time now."
Minnesota took a 1-0 lead at 4:13 of the first period when Smith elected to pass the puck from behind his net to teammate Jordan Martinook in the slot. Martinook mishandled the puck, Haula stole it and slammed it into the open net for his 15th goal of the season.
Staal widened the lead to 2-0 at 10:46 when Smith lost his stick to the left of the net. Charlie Coyle sent a pass to Staal at the left circle and he beat Smith inside the near post for his 28th goal of the season.
Arizona cut the lead to 2-1 at 2:59 of the second period when Perlini collected a big rebound of Shane Doan's initial slap shot and beat Kuemper for his 14th goal of the season. Doan picked up an assist in what could have been the final game of his career.
Before the game, fans held up signs thanking him and after the game, several Wild players hugged him and the referees also shook his hand.
"What the Wild guys did was pretty special," said Doan, who has not decided if he will retire. "That is so appreciated."
Hanzal, a Coyote for nearly 10 seasons, restored the two-goal lead when he buried Mikko Koivu's pass at 13:35 for his career-high 20th goal of the season.
NOTES: Wild coach Bruce Boudreau gave C Mikael Granlund the night off. Granlund, who had played 199 consecutive games, was a point from becoming the Wild's first 70-point scorer since Mikko Koivu did it in 2009-10, but Boudreau said he felt rest was more important. ... Wild D Jared Spurgeon played after missing Thursday's game in Denver with a lower-body injury, but Boudreau also elected to rest him and slumping G Devan Dubnyk, who has an .895 save percentage in 17 games since March 1. ... Saturday's game marked the return to Arizona of former Coyote Martin Hanzal, who spent nearly 10 seasons with the franchise before Arizona shipped him to Minnesota at this year's trade deadline. ... D Zbynek Michalek played his second game for the Coyotes this season, after spending most of his time with Tucson of the AHL. Michalek's contract expires in June and will likely leave the NHL to play in Europe. ... Minor leaguer Craig Cunningham dropped the puck for a ceremonial face-off. Cunningham collapsed on the ice earlier this season before a game with Tucson of the AHL and nearly died from a heart attack. Part of his left leg was amputated to save his life.
Top Game Performances
| Minnesota |
|
Arizona |
|
Martin Hanzal 1 |
Points |
Brendan Perlini 1 |
|
Martin Hanzal 1 |
Goals |
Brendan Perlini 1 |
|
Charlie Coyle 1 |
Assists |
Shane Doan 1 |
|
Martin Hanzal 1 |
Power Play Goals |
N/A |
|
N/A |
Short Handed Goals |
N/A |
|
Darcy Kuemper .952 |
Save Percentage |
Mike Smith .933 |
|
Darcy Kuemper 20 |
Saves |
Mike Smith 42 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Shots |
Goals |
Power Play |
Penalty Kill |
Penalty Mins |
Face Offs Won |
| Minnesota
|
45 |
3 |
2-2 |
0-0 |
2 |
40 |
| Arizona
|
21 |
1 |
0-0 |
0-2 |
6 |
18 |
Upcoming Games
-
Minnesota will play their next game at home against St. Louis. The Wild have a W/L % of .592 after a win and .606 after a loss.
For more information, contact us