ST. LOUIS -- Left winger Jason Zucker and defenseman Matt Dumba scored to lead the Minnesota Wild to a 4-2 victory over the St. Louis Blues on Thursday night in the first game of their opening-round playoff series.

The win snapped a string of seven consecutive losses by the Wild in the first game of a playoff series, dating back to 2003.

Zucker gave the Wild an early lead with his second career playoff goal just 2:47 into the game. He was able to get around defenseman Zbynak Michalek and get off a shot, which was blocked by goalie Jake Allen. The rebound went right back to Zucker, however, and he made a quick move around the net and scored on a wraparound.

A hooking penalty on Blues center Paul Stastny put the Wild on the power play early in the second period, and with 20 seconds left in the penalty, Dumba -- playing in his first career playoff game -- increased the lead to 2-0.

Dumba fired a shot from the point while two Minnesota players screened Allen in front of the net.

After getting only 11 shots on goal through the first two periods, the Blues cut the lead to 2-1 at 7:12 of the third period when left winger Jaden Schwartz deflected a shot by defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk past goalie Devan Dubnyk. It was Schwartz's second career playoff goal.

A holding penalty on Minnesota right winger Nino Niederreiter put the Blues on the power play at 9:19 of the period but they were not able to capitalize on the man-advantage.

The Blues pulled Allen in favor of an extra attacker, but the Wild got an empty-net goal from center Mikael Granlund with 1:13 to play to restore their two-goal margin.

The Blues again pulled within one on a short-handed goal by left winger Alexander Steen with 58 seconds left in regulation.

With Allen pulled, the Wild got a second empty-netter from right winger Jason Pominville, with 20 seconds to play.

The second game of the series will be played Saturday afternoon in St. Louis.

NOTES: Both starting goalies, St. Louis' Jake Allen and Minnesota's Devan Dubnyk, made their first NHL playoff start. ... Dubnyk's last playoff experience came when he was a member of the Stockton Thunder of the East Coast Hockey League in 2007. ... Allen became the fourth goalie to start the Blues' playoff opener in the past four years, following Jaroslav Halak in 2012, Brian Elliott in 2013 and Ryan Miller last year. ... Wild LW Matt Cooke did not play. He has played only two games since Feb. 3 due to an injury he said is related to past issues with a sports hernia ... NHL commissioner Gary Bettman was in attendance at the game.