Jets 6, Wild 4
Blake Wheeler poked in a loose puck for his second goal of the game with 9:20 left in the third period to snap a tie and Winnipeg held on to hand visiting Minnesota its fourth consecutive defeat.
Olli Jokinen recorded a goal and an assist, Evander Kane and defensemen Dustin Byfuglien and Tobias Enstrom also scored and captain Andrew Ladd added a pair of assists for the Jets, who defeated the Wild for the first time in four tries this season. Al Montoya made 22 saves for the victory after replacing starter Ondrej Pavelec, who allowed three goals on six shots.
Captain Mikko Koivu, Justin Fontaine, Dany Heatley and Stephane Veilleux tallied while Jason Pominville recorded two assists for Minnesota. Niklas Backstrom turned aside 32 shots for the Wild, who pressured for the tying goal before Enstrom’s empty-netter with four seconds left clinched the win for Winnipeg.
Heatley converted a cross-ice pass from Pominville 2:13 into the game, but Kane responded with a short-handed tally and Jokinen scored from close range over the next 3:44 for a 2-1 lead. Fontaine popped in his own rebound at 6:54 and Veilleux beat Pavelec from the left faceoff circle 10 seconds later to put the Wild ahead.
Winnipeg ended the offensive explosion in the first period with a goal by Wheeler on a deflection at 14:50 and Byfuglien’s rebound tally with 2:10 left as the Jets seized a 4-3 edge. Koivu tied the game 3:40 into the middle session during a power play, redirecting a nifty centering pass by Charlie Coyle.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Minnesota LW Zach Parise missed his second straight contest with a lower-body injury. G Josh Harding was activated after missing three games to get a new treatment for his multiple sclerosis but did not dress. … Winnipeg D Mark Stuart was scratched due to a lower-body injury, allowing D Julian Melchiori to make his NHL debut. He logged 8:41 of ice time. … Veilleux scored his first goal since Feb. 2, 2010, when he was with Tampa Bay, ending a 59-game drought.