Stalock, Wild shut out Maple Leafs
SAINT PAUL, Minn. -- Goals by Tyler Ennis and Mikael Granlund supplemented a 28-save performance by goaltender Alex Stalock as the Minnesota Wild defeated the visiting Toronto Maple Leafs 2-0 on Thursday night at Xcel Energy Center.
Playing in place of the injured Devan Dubnyk, Stalock picked up his fifth win of the season (5-3-1) and fifth career shutout in his first appearance against his former team.
Toronto goalie Frederik Andersen made 24 saves in seeing his record fall to 17-10-1 on the season.
Trailing 1-0 after two periods with only 12 shots on goal, Toronto (20-12-1) had the Wild (17-11-3) on their heels early in the third, firing the period's first eight shots.
But Stalock stood tall, denying Tyler Bozak's blast from the center hash marks at 2:22 and a redirect by James van Riemsdyk at 6:12, to preserve the lead until Minnesota's offense could strike once more.
From behind Andersen, Eric Staal slipped a backhand pass between Patrick Marleau and the left post to Granlund, who buried his seventh goal of the season at 8:06 of the final period.
Ennis, one game removed from being a healthy scratch against Calgary on Tuesday, scored his sixth goal of the season and second in his last four games late in the first period.
Wild defenseman Ryan Suter picked off Connor Brown's clearing attempt along the left wing boards and found Ennis alone behind the Toronto net. Ennis stepped out front and beat Andersen with a shot just inside the right post at 18:06.
NOTES: Minnesota recalled goaltender Steve Michalek from Iowa of the American Hockey League on Thursday morning. ... Toronto C Auston Matthews sat out his third straight game with a lower-body injury. The Maple Leafs are 5-2-0 this season without their star forward. ... Wild LW Zach Parise and D Jared Spurgeon each skated with the team Thursday but remained out of the Minnesota lineup. ... Toronto D Roman Polak played his 200th game in a Maple Leafs uniform Thursday night. In two stints with the Leafs, Polak has collected 11 goals and 36 points.. ... Wild D Gustav Olofsson and LW Marcus Foligno were healthy scratches for Minnesota, which wraps up its three-game homestand on Saturday afternoon against Edmonton. ... D Connor Carrick and RW Kasperi Kapanen sat out for Toronto, which concludes its three-game trip on Friday night in Detroit.