Minnesota 5, Florida 1
When: 8:00 PM ET, Thursday, December 13, 2018
Where: Xcel Energy Center, Saint Paul, Minnesota
Referees:
Frederic L'Ecuyer, Wes McCauley
Linesmen:
Michel Cormier, Matt MacPherson
Attendance:
18714
By Field Level Media
Red-hot Nino Niederreiter scored twice and added an assist to lead the Minnesota Wild to a 5-1 win over the Florida Panthers on Thursday night in Saint Paul, Minn.
Eric Staal, Zach Parise and Jonas Brodin scored Minnesota's other goals, and Ryan Suter added three assists, giving him a team-high 22 for the season.
After falling behind early, the Wild scored five consecutive goals to earn the win. Minnesota has outscored its past two opponents -- the Montreal Canadiens and the Panthers -- 12-2.
Niederreiter has seven goals in 31 games this season, but four of the scores have come in the past three contests.
Devan Dubnyk made 30 saves to improve his record to 12-9-2. He has won two straight games; prior to this mini-run, he had lost four of his past five decisions.
James Reimer made 21 saves and took the loss. Reimer is 5-7-3 this season.
The Wild are 2-0-0 halfway through a four-game home stretch.
Florida, which got a goal from Denis Malgin, lost its fourth straight game.
The Panthers opened the scoring just 2:20 into the first period, getting offense from unlikely sources. Defenseman MacKenzie Weegar fired a shot, and Malgin scored on the rebound. It was just the fifth point this season by Weegar, and it was Malgin's second goal and sixth point.
With 15:22 left in the first period, Minnesota tied the score on Niederreiter's rocket shot past Reimer.
Niederreiter struck again with 11:54 gone in the second period, and Suter once again produced the primary assist. This time, Niederreiter scored on a deflection.
Staal gave Minnesota a 3-1 lead with 15:29 expired in the second period.
Just 1:02 in the third period, Parise was credited with the goal that gave Minnesota a 4-1 lead -- but it was hardly a thing of beauty. The puck was shot off the back boards, and it went in off of Reimer's padded left leg.
Brodin's goal less than three minutes later gave Minnesota a 5-1 advantage. His hard shot went in as Reimer was screened by teammate Mike Matheson.
--Field Level Media
Top Game Performances
| Florida |
|
Minnesota |
|
Denis Malgin 1 |
Points |
Nino Niederreiter 3 |
|
Denis Malgin 1 |
Goals |
Nino Niederreiter 2 |
|
Frank Vatrano 1 |
Assists |
Ryan Suter 3 |
|
N/A |
Power Play Goals |
N/A |
|
N/A |
Short Handed Goals |
N/A |
|
James Reimer .808 |
Save Percentage |
Devan Dubnyk .968 |
|
James Reimer 21 |
Saves |
Devan Dubnyk 30 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Shots |
Goals |
Power Play |
Penalty Kill |
Penalty Mins |
Face Offs Won |
| Florida
|
31 |
1 |
0-2 |
0-0 |
2 |
36 |
| Minnesota
|
26 |
5 |
0-0 |
2-2 |
6 |
33 |
Upcoming Games
-
Minnesota will play their next game at home against Calgary. The Wild have a W/L % of .562 after a win and .533 after a loss.
-
Florida will play their next game at home against Toronto. The Panthers have a W/L % of .364 after a win and .368 after a loss.
For more information, contact us