Wild 2, Sharks 0
Niklas Backstrom recorded his first shutout after turning aside all 33 shots he faced and Zach Parise scored his team-leading 12th goal as host Minnesota extended its winning streak to a season-high five games.
Jared Spurgeon netted a power-play goal and fellow defenseman Ryan Suter had a pair of assists for his fourth multi-point contest in seven games. Captain Mikko Koivu also set up a pair of tallies for the Wild, who defeated San Jose for the fourth straight time and improved to 14-5-1 in their last 20 games overall.
Antti Niemi finished with 22 saves for the struggling Sharks, who fell to 2-5-2 in their last nine contests.
Entering the game with just five wins in 18 appearances versus San Jose (5-10-3), Backstrom preserved his 27th career shutout by denying Andrew Desjardins' penalty shot before making 18 saves in the third period.
Parise opened the scoring with 7:50 remaining in the second period after accepting Koivu's cross-slot feed in the right faceoff circle. Parise wired a shot past Niemi for his sixth power-play tally.
Spurgeon doubled the lead 1:17 into the third period after taking advantage of San Jose defenseman Dan Boyle's tripping penalty. Suter set up Spurgeon for a one-timer that whistled past Niemi for his fourth goal.
San Jose had a prime chance to open the scoring after Desjardins was awarded a penalty shot during the first period. Desjardins, who was held by defenseman Clayton Stoner on a breakaway, failed to convert against Backstrom.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Minnesota RW Devin Setoguchi saw his five-game point streak come to an end. The former Shark collected six goals and two assists during the stretch. ... San Jose LW Ryane Clowe missed his third straight game with a shoulder injury. ... Minnesota C Mike Rupp missed his third consecutive contest with a lower-body injury, but D Tom Gilbert returned after a two-game absence with the same ailment.