Wild hold off Sharks
SAINT PAUL, Minn. -- The Minnesota Wild scored a pair of early goals and held off a charge by the San Jose Sharks, winning 3-1 on Sunday in a meeting of two Western Conference powers.
Eric Staal scored twice and Zach Parise got things started in the first period for Minnesota, which moved back into first place in the Central Division, ahead of idle Chicago. The Wild (42-15-6) got 20 saves from Devan Dubnyk to win for the third time in their past four games. Staal added an empty net goal for the Wild with 1:49 to play.
San Jose, which leads the Pacific Division, got a goal from Melker Karlsson but could not generate enough offense to overcome the early deficit. Goalie Martin Jones had 25 saves, including thwarting a trio of Minnesota breakaways, but the Sharks (38-19-7) opened their two-game road trip with a loss.
It was the fourth multi-goal game of the season for Staal, who has been in a scoring slump for the past month.
Minnesota emerged with a 2-1 lead in the first 20 minutes after two encouraging comebacks.
Parise got the Wild on the board first, tipping a Jason Pominville shot between Jones' pads. Parise and Pominville had missed the Wild's previous three games after a mumps scare in the team's locker room.
Staal, who had scored just one goal, into an empty net, in Minnesota's previous 19 games, beat Jones with a low wrist shot to make it 2-0 after a pretty behind-the-back pass from defenseman Matt Dumba.
After Jones denied Wild defenseman Marco Scandella on a breakaway, the Sharks answered when Karlsson tapped a puck past Dubnyk after a Michael Haley pass from behind the net.
San Jose captain Joe Pavelski was whistled for a four-minute high-sticking penalty late in the first period, but Minnesota managed just one shot on goal during the extended power play. Neither team scored in the second, with Minnesota holding a 21-16 edge in shots after two periods.
NOTES: San Jose was without D David Schlemko, who made the trip to Minnesota but was unable to play after suffering a lower body injury on Thursday in the Sharks 3-1 home win over Vancouver. In his place, D Dylan DeMelo returned to the Sharks lineup. He had been out since Jan. 11 with a right wrist injury. ... Minnesota lost D Christian Folin in the first period after he was ridden hard into the end boards by Sharks LW Kevin Labanc. The Wild scored their first goal with Labanc in the penalty box for boarding on the play. Folin did not return. ... Minnesota signed 16-year-old Carter Casey to a one-day contract on Sunday and held a press conference to announce the signing, which was a part of the Make-A-Wish program. Casey played youth hockey in Breckenridge, Minn., until last year, when he was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer. Wild coach Bruce Boudreau presented Casey with a team jersey. "We're out here worried about little things in the game and he's fighting for his life," Boudreau said. "It just puts everything in perspective."