Wild 5, Rangers 2
SAINT PAUL, Minn. -- A pair of goals 40 seconds apart midway through the third period broke open a one-goal game and lifted the Minnesota Wild to a 5-2 win over the New York Rangers on Thursday night at Xcel Energy Center.
Minnesota right winger Jason Pominville and left winger Chris Porter each beat Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist with backhand shots in short order to give the Wild a much-needed cushion in a tight game.
Wild center Mikko Koivu, who scored with 2:17 to go, boosted his team-leading point total to 28 with two goals and an assist. Minnesota defenseman Ryan Suter notched his 18th and 19th assists on the season, and Wild goaltender Devan Dubnyk earned his 14th win of the season with 21 saves.
The Wild appeared set enter the second intermission clinging to a 1-0 lead until the teams traded late goals to make it a 2-1 game with 20 minutes to play.
Minnesota defenseman Matt Dumba's baseball swing at rebound off the chest of Lundqvist with 2;30 to go in the middle period gave Minnesota a 2-0 lead. Wild right winger Nino Niederreiter set up the play when he corralled center Mikael Granlund's pass along the goal line, spun and shoveled a shot toward Lundqvist.
With just 8.9 seconds remaining in the period, Rangers right winger Emerson Etem's pass from the left corner found center Dominic Moore open in the slot, and the former Wild center's wrist shot beat Dubnyk. The goal snapped Dubnyk's shutout streak at 1:65:23 dating back to Dec. 1 in Chicago.
Lundqvist did not start the game but entered at the 13:49 mark of the first period when starter Antti Raanta left due to an apparent head injury.
A rising slap shot off the stick of Minnesota defenseman Marco Scandella deflected off Raanta's mask near the left side of his forehead. Raanta lay face down on the ice for several minutes as he was tended to before being assisted to the dressing room.
Ranta stopped three of the four shots he faced, while Lundqvist allowed four goals on 31 shots.
Minnesota struck first, 8:27 into the contest, on Koivu's seventh of the season, and team-leading 26th point, on just the Wild's second shot of the period. Wild left winger Thomas Vanek won a race to a loose puck below the goal line and one-timed a pass in front to Koivu, who slipped a backhand shot between Raanta's legs.
Vanek's assist was a marked improvement over his immediate impact on the game in the opening minute. Vanek's turnover sent Rangers defenseman Keith Yandle on a breakaway forcing Vanek to hook him, which resulted in a penalty shot for Yandle just 49 seconds in.
Dubnyk's glove save denied Yandle's attempt to lift the Rangers to an early lead.
Defenseman Ryan McDonagh scored a third-period goal for New York.
NOTES: C Jarret Stoll, claimed off waivers from the Rangers on Tuesday, made his Minnesota debut Thursday against New York centering the Wild's fourth line. C Erik Haula was a healthy scratch to make room for Stoll. ... Rangers rookie D Brady Skjei, who grew up in nearby Lakeville, Minn., before playing three seasons at the University of Minnesota, played in just his second NHL game and first in his home state. ... Minnesota G Devan Dubnyk made his first start since Dec. 5 after missing five games due to a mild groin strain. ... Injuries to D Dan Girardi, C Derek Stepan and D Kevin Klein continue to keep the trio out of the Rangers lineup. ... Minnesota travels to Nashville to take on the Predators on Saturday. ... Thursday's game was the first of back-to-back contests for the Rangers, who head north the face Winnipeg on Friday.