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 In the first meeting of these Central Division rivals since
Chicago's sweep in round two of the playoffs last spring, the
Minnesota Wild got a goal early in the third period from right
winger Nino Niederreiter to beat the Blackhawks 5-4 on Friday.
Minnesota (7-2-1) also got goals from left winger Jason Zucker,
center Ryan Carter, center Charlie Coyle and defenseman Jared
Spurgeon, improving to 5-0-0 at home. Wild goalie Devan Dubnyk had
26 saves in the win.
"It doesn't really matter how you get the win or against who,
they're all important," Wild captain Mikko Koivu said, admitting
there's another level of intensity when they face Chicago. "But for
sure, we knew the challenge coming in and the type of team they are,
and the success that they had the past few years."
It was the second loss in as many nights for Chicago (6-5-0), which
got a pair of goals from center Jonathan Toews and single goals by
defenseman Brent Seabrook and center Artem Anisimov. Blackhawks
goalie Scott Darling, making his third start of the season, finished
with 25 saves.
"There's a lot of speed to our games, there's a lot of respect,"
said Chicago coach Joel Quenneville. His team has bounced Minnesota
from the playoffs the past three years. "The transition from defense
to offense is as fast as you're going to see. A lot of respect both
ways. The building gets fun and there's a lot of history on the ice
and the pace is always as good as it gets. You've got to bring your
A game against this team."
The Blackhawks, who had managed just three goals in their three
previous games combined and had gone more than a week without
scoring a 5-on-5 goal, got some offense Friday, but not a win. For
all the intensity on the Minnesota bench, Wild coach Mike Yeo
dismissed the notion that his team had made up for previous playoff
losses versus Chicago.
"We beat them in the regular season last year, so until we end their
season like they've ended ours, then I don't take a whole lot out of
that," Yeo said.
Zucker got the raucous crowd involved right away, scoring on
Minnesota's first shot of the game, just 18 seconds after the
opening faceoff. Pressured by Chicago defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson
in front of the net, Zucker spun around with a low shot that found a
small space between the post and Darling's left skate.
Amazingly, it was not Zucker's fastest goal of the week. On Sunday
in Winnipeg, he scored 10 seconds into the first period in a 5-4
loss to the Jets.
Minnesota got the first power play of the game, which worked in
Chicago's favor. Dubnyk stopped Blackhawks center Ryan Garbutt on a
shorthanded breakaway, but gave up a shorthanded goal to Toews a
short time later when the Chicago captain's wrist shot from 30 feet
out beat the goalie on the stick side.
The Blackhawks used a power play of their own to take a 2-1 lead
when Seabrook's long-range shot deflected off a Wild defender's
stick and past Dubnyk.
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But Minnesota tied it at 2-2 later in the first when Hawks right
winger Patrick Kane's errant pass was intercepted, touching off a
2-on-1 break that ended with Carter snapping a shot by Darling,
after a set-up pass from left winger Erik Haula.
Coyle scored with 11 seconds left in the first, putting Minnesota
back ahead, and Spurgeon gave the Wild a 4-2 lead early in the
second on a power play.
The man advantage came after Blackhawks center Andrew Desjardins
delivered a knee-on-knee check to Wild right winger Justin Fontaine.
Desjardins was assessed two minutes for tripping, while Fontaine was
helped from the ice, favoring his left knee. He did not return, and
the Blackhawks lost right winger Marian Hossa to a lower body injury
later in the game. Yeo said that Fontaine's ailment would be "more
week to week than day to day."
But the Blackhawks scored twice, on goals by Toews and Anisimov, in
a three-minute span, to forge a 4-4 tie after 40 minutes.
"The start of the third I missed the puck and they buried it, and
this team is tough to score against," Seabrook said. "When they get
a lead, they tend to lock things up. I think it was there for the
taking."
NOTES: Injured Wild F Tyler Graovac took a step forward, and a step
back, on Thursday. He skated in a full team practice for the first
time since he suffered a groin injury on Oct. 8, but had to leave
practice early and is reportedly not close to returning to the
Minnesota lineup. ... Chicago D Erik Gustafsson made his NHL debut
on Friday. Originally drafted by the Edmonton Oilers, Gustafsson
signed as a free agent with Chicago over the summer. ... The next
time the Blackhawks play in Minnesota, they may need to bundle up.
Chicago and the Wild will meetFeb. 21 at TCF Bank Stadium on the
University of Minnesota campus in the Wild's first-ever Stadium
Series outdoor game. ... The Wild are back in action on Saturday
night, facing the Blues in St. Louis. The Blackhawks return to
Chicago for a meeting with the Los Angeles Kings on Monday night.
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