Granlund's first career hat trick lifts Wild
VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- Mikael Granlund scored his first career hat and added an assist as the Minnesota Wild defeated the Vancouver Canucks 6-3 on Saturday night.
Granlund extended his franchise-high points streak to 12 games (5 goals, 12 assists). It's the longest points streak in the NHL this season. He's also set career highs with 15 goals and 48 points.
Mikko Koivu, Mike Reilly and Zack Parise also scored for Minnesota (34-12-5). Jared Spurgeon had two assists for the Wild, who improved their league-leading road record to (17-6-5).
Brandon Sutter (two goals) and Bo Horvat scored for Vancouver (23-23-6).
The Canucks lost their third consecutive game. They are (1-4-0) in their last five games and have been outscored 19-9.
Wild goaltender Devan Dubnyk made 24 saves. Vancouver's Ryan Miller stopped 33 shots.
Granlund's third goal came at 10:19 of the third. He swiped at a puck that somehow got past Miller.
Minnesota took a 5-3 lead into the final period after the teams combined for five second-period goals.
Granlund scored his second of the night shorthanded at 4:06 of the second. The Canucks went on a power play after Tyler Graovac was called for cross-checking.
Granlund scooped up a loose puck following a faceoff in the Wild zone, then led a 2-on-1 breakaway down the ice and beat Miller for his 14th of the season with just 11 seconds gone in the power play.
Horvat made it 3-2 at 8:36, scoring on a 2-on-1 breakaway. Parise restored the two-goal lead 54 seconds later, deflecting Jared Spurgeon's shot past Miller.
Koivu connected at 18:19 when he took a pass from Granlund and scored on a sharp angle. Sutter cut into the lead with a power-play goal at 19:17, swatting a puck out of the air behind Dubnyk.
The Wild scored a late goal to lead 2-1 after the first period.
Reilly opened the scoring at 13:01. He took a pass from Christian Folin and ripped a shot past Miller. It was Reilly's first goal in 15 games this season.
Sutter tied the game at 17:52. He took the rebound of a blocked Jannik Hansen shot and fired it past Dubnyk.
Granlund gave the Wild the lead again with just 25 seconds remaining in the period. Jason Zucker took a shot that Miller stopped. Neither Miller nor defenseman Alex Edler could control the rebound, allowing Granlund to tuck it into the net.
NOTES: The Canucks held a pregame ceremony honoring C Henrik Sedin for collecting his 1,000th NHL point in a Jan. 20 win over Florida. ... Vancouver RW Jannik Hansen, who returned from a knee injury, started on the third line with C Brandon Sutter and LW Markus Granlund. ... C Jayson Megna, without a point in five games, C Reid Boucher and D Alex Biega were healthy scratches. ... The Canucks begin a six-game trip on Tuesday night Nashville. They'll face four teams holding a playoff spot. ... RW Alex Tuch made his NHL debut on the Wild's top line with C Eric Staal and LW Zach Parise. ... Wild RW Charlie Coyle was moved to the fourth line from the top unit. ... Wild C Jordan Schroeder and C Nate Prosser were healthy scratches. ... Minnesota has seven players with 30 or more points this season. ... The Wild wrap up a four-game trip on Tuesday in Winnipeg.