Minnesota 6, Carolina 3
When: 8:00 PM ET, Saturday, February 14, 2015
Where: Xcel Energy Center, Saint Paul, Minnesota
Referees:
Greg Kimmerly, Dan O'Halloran
Linesmen:
David Brisebois, Steve Miller
Attendance:
19220
By SportsDirect Inc.
Wild 6, Hurricanes 3: Thomas Vanek recorded a pair of goals and set up another as host Minnesota extended its point streak to a franchise record-tying 10 games (8-0-2).
Zach Parise, Jordan Schroeder, Erik Haula and defenseman Nate Prosser also scored while Justin Fontaine, Mikael Granlund and blue-liner Jared Spurgeon notched two assists apiece for the Wild, who also earned points in 10 straight in 2007 (9-0-1). Devan Dubnyk turned aside 24 shots in his 13th straight start since being acquired from Arizona.
Jeff Skinner, Elias Lindholm and Andrej Nestrasil tallied while Jay McClement and defenseman Justin Faulk each recorded a pair of assists for the Hurricanes. Anton Khudobin made 18 saves for Carolina, which allowed at least four goals for the fourth time in its last six contests.
Granlund set up Vanek for an open net with a cross-ice feed 75 seconds into the contest, and Fontaine's cross-ice pass allowed the Austrian to score his second goal at 8:17. Schroeder converted from the right faceoff circle during a rush at 15:31 for a 3-0 lead before Nestrasil got the Hurricanes on the board with 11 seconds left in the first period.
Prosser scored 2:16 into the second before Carolina answered with Skinner’s slap shot at 5:02 and a deflection by Lindholm 90 seconds later to cut the deficit to 4-3. Kyle Brodziak’s centering pass hit Faulk’s stick in front of the crease and went in off Haula’s skate 3:15 into the third and Parise’s empty-netter sealed it with 1:49 left.
GAME NOTEBOOK: It was Vanek’s first multi-goal performance of the season and the 49th of his career. … Carolina D Michal Jordan earned his first NHL point in his 22nd game with an assist on Skinner’s goal in the second period. … Minnesota's penalty-killing unit was 3-for-3 on Saturday and is 25-for-25 over the last nine games.
Top Game Performances
Carolina |
|
Minnesota |
Justin Faulk 2 |
Points |
Thomas Vanek 3 |
Elias Lindholm 1 |
Goals |
Thomas Vanek 2 |
Justin Faulk 2 |
Assists |
Justin Fontaine 2 |
N/A |
Power Play Goals |
N/A |
N/A |
Short Handed Goals |
N/A |
Anton Khudobin .783 |
Save Percentage |
Devan Dubnyk .889 |
Anton Khudobin 18 |
Saves |
Devan Dubnyk 24 |
Team Stats Summary
Team |
Shots |
Goals |
Power Play |
Penalty Kill |
Penalty Mins |
Face Offs Won |
Carolina
|
27 |
3 |
0-3 |
2-2 |
6 |
31 |
Minnesota
|
24 |
6 |
0-2 |
3-3 |
8 |
29 |
Upcoming Games
-
Minnesota will play their next game on the road against Vancouver. The Wild have a W/L % of .536 after a win and .481 after a loss.
-
Carolina will play their next game on the road against Ottawa. The Hurricanes have a W/L % of .368 after a win and .343 after a loss.