Ducks 4, Wild 1
ANAHEIM, Calif. -- The Anaheim Ducks ended a nearly season-long offensive drought with a 4-1 win over the Minnesota Wild on Sunday night in front of 16,784 at the Honda Center.
Defenseman Cam Fowler scored the Ducks' first goal in 173 consecutive minutes midway through the first period while centers Rickard Rakell and Mike Santorelli, and defenseman Hampus Lindholm also scored.
Anaheim goaltender Anton Khudobin made 34 saves in his second start of the season as the Ducks (1-3-1) earned its first win. Minnesota (3-1-1) suffered its second successive loss after winning its first three games.
Before Fowler's goal, the Ducks scored just once this season, in the second game of the season.
The Ducks broke a 1-1 tie at 16:01 of the first period. Rakell became the first forward to score for Anaheim this season when he deflected Lindholm's slap shot past goalie Devan Dubnyk. Lindholm fired from the blue line after receiving right wing Corey Perry's pass from the left corner.
Santorelli extended the lead to 3-1 at 8:58 of the third period when he tucked the puck under Dubnyk's right pad. Lindholm ended the scoring with an empty-net goal at 18:51.
Anaheim took a 1-0 lead at 10:08 of the first period. Fowler converted a wrist shot from the blue line after center Ryan Getzlaf passed to Fowler from behind the Wild's net.
Nearly three minutes later, Minnesota exploited a turnover to tie the score on right winger Nino Niederreiter's second goal of the season at 12:55. Koivu began the scoring sequence by taking the puck from Getzlaf at the left-wing boards and freeing Niederreiter for a breakaway. Lindholm tried to poke-check the puck from behind but Niederreiter dragged a low wrist shot from close range.
Dubnyk finished with 18 saves.
NOTES: Minnesota scratched G Niklas Backstrom and D Nate Prosser. ... Wild D Jared Spurgeon played in his 300th career game and D Jonas Brodin competed in his 200th. ... Wild D Ryan Suter's four-game point streak is the longest to start a season in his career. ... Anaheim scratched RW Tim Jackman, D Shea Theodore and C Chris Wager. ... The Ducks recalled D Shea Theodore and D Korbinian Holzer from their AHL affiliate in San Diego on Saturday and placed D Clayton Stoner and D Simon Despres on injured reserve. Stoner has now missed three games. Despres left Friday night's game against Colorado in the second period after being hit by Avalanche D Tyson Barrie, who received a fine and a three-game suspension from the NHL on Saturday.