Wild 3, Ducks 2
Niklas Backstrom made 32 saves and Matt Cullen recorded a goal and an assist as the visiting Minnesota Wild held off the Anaheim Ducks 3-2 on Sunday.
Kyle Brodziak and Jared Spurgeon each tallied for the Wild, who snapped a two-game slide and improved to 2-2-0 on their current five-game road trip.
Cam Fowler scored twice for the Ducks, including a slap shot with 49 seconds left that gave Anaheim some late hope. The Ducks put plenty of heat on Backstrom in the final seconds but the veteran net minder held them off for his fifth win.
Minnesota did all of its damage in the first period, starting when Nick Johnson tried to stuff the puck past Jonas Hiller from behind the net. The puck skidded loose and Brodziak streaked down the slot, catching a rebound and wristing it in for a 1-0 edge.
The Wild made it 2-0 with 3:49 left in the first. Coming up the ice in transition, Cal Clutterbuck spun around and backhanded a pass to Cullen, who knocked it past Hiller for his seventh tally.
Spurgeon’s slap shot from the slot made it over Hiller’s right shoulder with 29 seconds left in the period.
Hiller was lifted for the start of the second, with Dan Ellis making 11 saves in relief.