The Minnesota Wild have had a rough season to date, but when they cross paths with the Arizona Coyotes, they know how to get the job done. After picking up a victory over the Coyotes, who are currently second place in the Pacific Division, last Saturday, the last-place Wild earned another victory in St. Paul on Thursday night.
The latest victory for the Wild began with a strong first period that saw Minnesota outshoot the Coyotes by a 20-8 margin. They capitalized late in the first when Kevin Fiala scored his fourth goal of the season from Zach Parise to put the Wild on the board.
GOOOAAALLL!
Kevin Fiala gives the @mnwild the lead in the first.
📱 https://t.co/oPPkbeEbIy pic.twitter.com/WX25g4uHgH
— FanDuel Sports Network North (@FanDuelSN_NOR) November 15, 2019
After taking the 1-0 lead into the intermission, the Coyotes battled back using the momentum they established by taking out the St. Louis Blues and Washington Capitals earlier in the week. Connor Garland scored his ninth goal of the season from Nick Schmaltz to tie the game up and that would set the stage for a back-and-forth third period.
The Wild struck first in the final frame thanks to their power play. Parise would be the beneficiary of the man advantage, scoring his fifth goal of the season from Mikko Koivu and Jason Zucker to give Minnesota a 2-1 lead. The lead was short-lived, however, as Lawson Crouse scored the equalizer with his third goal of the year to raise tensions at the Xcel Energy Center.
As the game got late, Jordan Greenway relieved that tension with his first goal of the season from Jonas Brodin and Joel Eriksson Ek to put the Wild ahead with less than eight minutes to go.
JORDAN GREENWAY!#mnwild pic.twitter.com/icJSAs8wTA
— FanDuel Sports Network North (@FanDuelSN_NOR) November 15, 2019
That was enough for Devan Dubnyk to hold on for the 3-2 victory, making 27 saves on 29 shots.
The win improved the Wild’s record to 7-11-1 on the season and puts some distance between themselves and the Los Angeles Kings for the worst record in the NHL. Minnesota will hit the ice next on Saturday when they host a matinee with the Carolina Hurricanes.
