Jason Zucker scored twice, and goalie Devan Dubnyk made 26 saves as the Minnesota Wild kicked off a two-game homestand by clinging to a 3-2 victory over the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday night in Saint Paul, Minn.
Dubnyk was especially strong during the third period, when the Jets registered 13 shots. By comparison, the Wild -- who have won four of five games -- didn't register a single shot in the final frame.
Minnesota staked Dubnyk to a 3-0 lead starting with Jordan Greenway's goal 5:40 into the game. With his teammates buzzing in the offensive zone, Greenway was fed the puck in the slot and buried his eighth goal of the season.
Zucker doubled the Minnesota lead with his first of the night on a power play 11:04 into the second period. Shortly after Winnipeg's Adam Lowry rang iron at the other end, Zucker parked himself at the doorstep and redirected Mikko Koivu's pass to snap a seven-game goal-scoring drought.
It didn't take nearly as long for Zucker to score again, striking at 17:50 of the second to make it 3-0. After serving his penalty, Zucker left the box to receive a breakaway pass, and he proceeded to convert the opportunity for his 12th goal of the season.
Brandon Tanev gave the Jets a shot of life by finally putting his team on the board with 41 seconds remaining in the second period with a top-corner shot.
During Winnipeg's frantic third-period push, Mark Scheifele made it a one-goal game by pushing home a loose puck with 2:38 left, but the Jets couldn't get the tying goal and saw their two-game winning streak end.
Wild defenseman Jared Spurgeon has two assists, his third multi-point game in the last five games.
Goalie Connor Hellebuyck stopped 19 shots for Winnipeg, which has a middling 9-6-0 record against Central Division teams this season.
--Field Level Media
Winnipeg | Minnesota | |
Mark Scheifele 1 | Points | Jason Zucker 2 |
Mark Scheifele 1 | Goals | Jason Zucker 2 |
Kyle Connor 1 | Assists | Jared Spurgeon 2 |
N/A | Power Play Goals | Jason Zucker 1 |
N/A | Short Handed Goals | N/A |
Connor Hellebuyck .864 | Save Percentage | Devan Dubnyk .929 |
Connor Hellebuyck 19 | Saves | Devan Dubnyk 26 |
Team | Shots | Goals | Power Play | Penalty Kill | Penalty Mins | Face Offs Won |
Winnipeg | 28 | 2 | 0-4 | 1-2 | 4 | 19 |
Minnesota | 22 | 3 | 1-2 | 4-4 | 8 | 36 |