National Hockey League
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Minnesota 3, Arizona 1
When: 9:00 PM ET, Saturday, January 17, 2015
Where: Xcel Energy Center, Saint Paul, Minnesota
Referees: Brad Watson, Ghislain Hebert
Linesmen: Shane Heyer, Shandor Alphonso
Attendance: 19111

Wild 3, Coyotes 1: Devan Dubnyk made 25 saves to defeat the team that traded him three days ago as host Minnesota posted consecutive victories for the first time in two months.

Jason Zucker scored his fourth goal in seven contests while Charlie Coyle and Zach Parise also tallied for the Wild, who have won five in a row over Arizona. Dubnyk also notched his second career assist on Zucker's team-leading 16th goal.

Antoine Vermette scored on the power play for the Coyotes, who have mustered just five goals during their four-game skid. Mike Smith, who became the team's unquestioned starter following Dubnyk's departure, turned aside 30 shots in suffering his third straight loss and falling to 7-19-2 on the season.

Nino Niederreiter cut to the net before losing the puck, but Coyle skated into it and lifted the shot over Smith's glove with 6:25 remaining in the first period to open the scoring. Zucker executed a brilliant give-and-go with Justin Fontaine before backhanding the puck past Smith at 8:41 of the second to double the advantage.

Arizona answered five minutes later as defenseman Keith Yandle's shot from the point was tipped by David Moss and hit the post before Vermette tapped it home. Parise added an empty-net goal with 54 seconds remaining in the third to seal the second straight win for Dubnyk, who made 18 saves in a 7-0 rout of Buffalo on Thursday - one day after being acquired for a third-round pick.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Minnesota last won consecutive games during a season-high four-game run from Nov. 13-20. ... Arizona LW Mikkel Boedker saw his career-high four-game goal-scoring streak come to an end. ... Wild D Ryan Suter finished serving his two-game suspension for elbowing Pittsburgh's Steve Downie during a 7-2 setback on Tuesday. ... Coyotes captain Shane Doan missed his second consecutive contest with a lower-body injury.
Top Game Performances
 
Arizona   Minnesota
Antoine Vermette 1 Points Charlie Coyle 1
Antoine Vermette 1 Goals Charlie Coyle 1
David Moss 1 Assists Devan Dubnyk 1
Antoine Vermette 1 Power Play Goals N/A
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
Mike Smith .938 Save Percentage Devan Dubnyk .962
Mike Smith 30 Saves Devan Dubnyk 25
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Arizona 26 1 1-2 3-3 10 32
Minnesota 33 3 0-3 1-2 8 28
Upcoming Games
  • Minnesota will play their next game at home against Columbus. The Wild have a W/L % of .450 after a win and .458 after a loss.
  • Arizona will play their next game on the road against Winnipeg. The Coyotes have a W/L % of .375 after a win and .357 after a loss.