Wild 3, Panthers 1
SAINT PAUL, Minn. -- It took two months and a coaching change, but the Minnesota Wild finally found a way to win in their home building.
On Sunday, center Erik Haula scored the tiebreaker in the third period, helping the Wild to a 3-1 win over the Florida Panthers and snapping their nine-game winless streak at Xcel Energy Center.
Center Charlie Coyle also scored for the Wild (28-25-10), who last won here on Dec. 28, and improved to 5-3-0 under interim head coach John Torchetti by snapping a three-game losing streak. Goalie Devan Dubnyk had 17 saves and right winger Jason Pominville added an empty net goal for Minnesota, which is fighting to stay relevant in the playoff picture with six weeks to go in the regular season.
Defenseman Aaron Ekblad had the lone goal for Florida (35-19-8), which made an unplanned goalie change in the first period. Al Montoya started in goal and had three saves before and injury chased him from the game. Roberto Luongo came on less than halfway through the opening period and had 21 saves, falling to 3-11-2 all-time in Minnesota.
With the game tied 1-1 in the third, Haula blocked a dump-in attempt by Florida right winger Reilly Smith at the far blue line, springing Haula on an end-to-end rush. Crossing into the offensive zone, Haula split a pair of Panthers defenders and came in alone on Luongo, popping a shot into the upper right corner of the net after Luongo lunged for the puck. It was the career-best eighth goal of the season for Haula.
Wild left winger Zach Parise had missed his team's two-game road trip last week with an upper-body injury, but announced his return to the lineup early on Sunday. From the left circle, he zipped a pass to Coyle at the top of the crease for a tap-in goal early.
Minnesota nearly doubled its lead a short time later when right winger Nino Niederreiter clanked a close range shot off the post. Montoya left the game less than halfway through the first period after being hit by Wild defenseman Marco Scandella. Coming across the top of the crease, Scandella was shoved from behind by Ekblad and appeared to contact Montoya's head. Trainers attended to Montoya, who left the game and headed down the tunnel to the locker room, bringing Luongo on in relief.
Ekblad's equalizer came on a power play near the midway point of the period. A pass by left winger Jussi Jokinen from the corner found Ekblad all alone in the slot. Dubnyk got most of Ekblad's low shot, but the puck still slipped over the line. It snapped a streak of six games that Ekblad had been held without a point.
On Minnesota's next power play, Luongo made the save of the game. Laying on his stomach in the crease without his stick, Luongo gloved a point-blank shot by Parise to maintain the 1-1 tie. Early in the third Luongo smothered a slap shot by Wild left winger Thomas Vanek, who was in alone from the blue line on a breakaway.
NOTES: Wild C Mikko Koivu became the franchise's all-time leader in games played by skating in his 744th contest for Minnesota. The Wild captain surpassed the previous mark set by D Nick Schultz (now with Philadelphia) from 2001 to 2012. ... Panthers rookie C Kyle Rau played his first pro game in his home state on Sunday. In 2011 at Xcel Energy Center, Rau's overtime goal lifted Eden Prairie High School to the Minnesota state championship and he was named Minnesota's Mr. Hockey that season. Rau's Florida teammate, C Nick Bjugstad, was Minnesota's Mr. Hockey in 2010 for Blaine High School. ... Florida C Derek MacKenzie was placed on injured reserve on Sunday due to a concussion. C Quinton Howden returned to the Panthers lineup on Sunday after missing the previous five games with a concussion.