Ducks 3, Wild 2: Matt Beleskey's second-period goal proved to be the winner as Anaheim opened a three-goal lead before holding on for its eighth consecutive home victory.
Captain Ryan Getzlaf and Teemu Selanne also scored while Jonas Hiller made 31 saves for the Ducks, who begin an unheard-of three-game series against the Phoenix Coyotes on Saturday.
Kyle Brodziak and Devin Setoguchi tallied and Darcy Kuemper stopped 26 shots for Minnesota, which has won only eight of its last 36 road games.
Getzlaf opened the scoring at 4:45 of the first period, when he redirected a pass from Corey Perry past Kuemper. Getzlaf and Perry extended their point streaks to five and seven games, respectively.
Selanne doubled the lead with a backhander at 11:21 of the first and Beleskey poked in a loose puck in the crease at nearly the exact same time in the second for a 3-0 advantage. Brodziak got the Wild on the board with a slap shot 29 seconds into the third and Setoguchi cut the deficit to one midway through the session with a blast from above the left faceoff circle.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Selanne's goal was the 669th of his career, giving him sole possession of 11th place on the all-time list. He entered tied with Luc Robitaille. ... The tally was Selanne's 1,423rd point, putting him two behind Bryan Trottier for 15th all time. ... The Wild have scored a total of 14 goals over their last eight road games. ... Eight of Minnesota's last 10 overall contests have been decided by one goal.
Minnesota | Anaheim | |
Kyle Brodziak 1 | Points | Matt Beleskey 1 |
Kyle Brodziak 1 | Goals | Matt Beleskey 1 |
Michael Rupp 1 | Assists | Andrew Cogliano 1 |
N/A | Power Play Goals | N/A |
N/A | Short Handed Goals | N/A |
Darcy Kuemper .897 | Save Percentage | Jonas Hiller .939 |
Darcy Kuemper 26 | Saves | Jonas Hiller 31 |
Team | Shots | Goals | Power Play | Penalty Kill | Penalty Mins | Face Offs Won |
Minnesota | 33 | 2 | 0-3 | 1-1 | 12 | 32 |
Anaheim | 29 | 3 | 0-1 | 3-3 | 16 | 24 |