|
 The Wild recovered from a shaky second period to score two
rapid-fire goals in the third period to defeat the Carolina
Hurricanes 3-1 on Friday night at PNC Arena.
"Then everyone thinks you're playing a great game," left winger Zach
Parise said of the late-game production.
Center Mikael Granlund and Parise scored less than two minutes apart
to break a tie and send the Wild to a fifth consecutive victory.
It was a second strong third period in as many nights for Minnesota.
Coach Mike Yeo said it was encouraging how the Wild regrouped for
the third period.
"The focus that we had and how we really went after it was a really
good sign," Yeo said.
Center Charlie Coyle also scored for Minnesota, which racked up its
sixth win in a row on the road. Right winger Jason Pominville picked
up two assists.
Goalie Devan Dubnyk, making his 23rd consecutive start, made 37
saves for the Wild.
"You keep it simple," Dubnyk said. "You chip away. It was a classic
road game."
Center Riley Nash scored in the second period for Carolina, which
lost for the second game in a row after a three-game winning streak.
"Not very good. We were not very good," Carolina coach Bill Peters
said. "I don't think we made a lot of plays."
Hurricanes goalie Anton Khudobin made 16 saves in his first action
in back-to-back games since late January.
Granlund's go-ahead came with 15:38 left, with his pass into the
slot skipping into the net off the skate of Carolina left winger
Chris Terry.
Parise's team-high 26th goal came with 13:42 to play after a
Carolina turnover. Parise was also credited with an assist on
Granlund's goal.
"You have to be opportunistic and wait for your chance and hope
there's a breakdown," Parise said.
So much of the earlier anguish disappeared for the Wild.
"I don't think we had a very good first period," Parise said. "It
didn't seem like we ever had the puck. It was a pretty frustrating
first two periods."
That's why the Wild was appreciative of Dubnyk's performance.
"He gave us a chance to play a better hockey game and kept it 1-1,"
Parise said.
The Wild are winners of six consecutive road games for their best
stretch in eight years.
[to top of second column] |
Overall, Minnesota is 16-2-1 since the All-Star break for the best record
in the league across that stretch.
The Hurricanes were miffed by the effort and execution.
Peters tried different line combinations, mostly to no avail.
"We'll have to figure it out because we're not going to watch this 19
more times," he said.
It was a matchup between the NHL's top two penalty-killing teams. After
the Hurricanes killed a power play in the first period, the Wild pounced
on their next chance in the offensive zone.
Coyle, skating down the right side, scored with nine minutes left in the
opening period, taking a pass from the other side of the ice from
Granlund. Coyle had gone 13 consecutive games without a goal.
In its last 19 games, Minnesota scored first 15 times.
The Hurricanes picked up the offensive pace in the second period when
they held a 16-4 edge in shots.
"We just stayed with what we were doing," Dubnyk said. "It would be easy
to be frustrated. ... The most important thing is to keep that game
where it is (at 1-1) and let us have a chance."
It had been nearly two months since Nash had scored. He tallied his
eighth goal of the season with 4:42 left in the second period, racing
down the ice and taking a pass from center Jeff Skinner. Nash had gone
17 games without a goal.
NOTES: RW Nino Niederreiter, who missed a game for the first time this
season a night earlier with a lower-body injury, was back in Minnesota's
lineup. ... Wild LW Thomas Vanek (illness) sat out a game for the first
time this season. He has been without a point in the last four games.
... D Rasmus Rissanen made his NHL debut for Carolina. The 23-year-old
was paired with veteran D John-Michael Liles. ... The Hurricanes
activated D Ryan Murphy from injured reserve earlier in the day, but he
was scratched. ... The Wild are back home to meet Colorado on Sunday.
... This was the first of 11 home games in March for the Hurricanes, who
take on visiting Edmonton on Sunday afternoon.
[© 2015 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
Copyright 2015 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
