Wild 5, Blackhawks 4
SAINT PAUL, Minn. -- In a game where it seemed the team that scored last was destined to win, Minnesota Wild right winger Nino Niederreiter's goal early in the third period was the difference in the Wild's 5-4 triumph over the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday.
In the first meeting of these Central Division rivals since Chicago's sweep in round two of the playoffs last spring, the Wild (7-2-1) also got goals from left winger Jason Zucker, center Ryan Carter, center Charlie Coyle and defenseman Jared Spurgeon, improving to 5-0-0 at home. Minnesota goalie Devan Dubnyk had 26 saves in the win.
It was the second loss in as many nights for Chicago (6-5-0), which got a pair of goals from center Jonathan Toews and single goals by defenseman Brent Seabrook and center Artem Anisimov. Blackhawks goalie Scott Darling, making his third start of the season, finished with 25 saves.
The Blackhawks, who had managed just three goals in their three previous games combined and had gone more than a week without scoring a 5-on-5 goal, got some offense Friday, but not a win.
Zucker got the raucous crowd involved right away, scoring on Minnesota's first shot of the game, just 18 seconds after the opening faceoff. Pressured by Chicago defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson in front of the net, Zucker spun around with a low shot that found a small space between the post and Darling's left skate.
Amazingly, it was not Zucker's fastest goal of the week. On Sunday in Winnipeg, he scored 10 seconds into the first period in a 5-4 loss to the Jets.
Minnesota got the first power play of the game, which worked in Chicago's favor. Dubnyk stopped Blackhawks center Ryan Garbutt on a shorthanded breakaway, but gave up a shorthanded goal to Toews a short time later when the Chicago captain's wrist shot from 30 feet out beat the goalie on the stick side.
The Blackhawks used a power play of their own to take a 2-1 lead when Seabrook's long-range shot deflected off a Wild defender's stick and past Dubnyk.
But Minnesota tied it at 2-2 later in the first when Hawks right winger Patrick Kane's errant pass was intercepted, touching off a 2-on-1 break that ended with Carter snapping a shot by Darling, after a set-up pass from left winger Erik Haula.
Coyle scored with 11 seconds left in the first, putting Minnesota back ahead, and Spurgeon gave the Wild a 4-2 lead early in the second on a power play.
The man advantage came after Blackhawks center Andrew Desjardins delivered a knee-on-knee check to Wild right winger Justin Fontaine. Desjardins was assessed two minutes for tripping, while Fontaine was helped from the ice, favoring his left knee.
But the Blackhawks scored twice, on goals by Toews and Anisimov, in a three-minute span, to forge a 4-4 tie after 40 minutes.
NOTES: Injured Wild F Tyler Graovac took a step forward, and a step back, on Thursday. He skated in a full team practice for the first time since he suffered a groin injury on Oct. 8, but had to leave practice early and is reportedly not close to returning to the Minnesota lineup. ... Chicago D Eric Gustafsson made his NHL debut on Friday. Originally drafted by the Edmonton Oilers, Gustafsson signed as a free agent with Chicago over the summer. ... The next time the Blackhawks play in Minnesota, they may need to bundle up. Chicago and the Wild will meet Feb. 21 at TCF Bank Stadium on the University of Minnesota campus in the Wild's first-ever Stadium Series outdoor game. ... The Wild are back in action on Saturday night, facing the Blues in St. Louis. The Blackhawks return to Chicago for a meeting with the Los Angeles Kings on Monday night.