Marek Zidlicky registered a goal and an assist
to lift the Minnesota Wild to a 3-2 win over the Dallas Stars at Xcel Energy
Center.
Cal Clutterbuck and Mikko Koivu also scored for the Wild, who have won three
of their last four games. Niklas Backstrom made 19 saves in the win.
"We stuck with our game plan, stuck with our system. Guys were committed to
playing the right game and helping each other out," Wild defenseman Nick
Schultz said.
Loui Eriksson tallied twice on the power play for the Stars, who have dropped
four of five. Alex Auld stopped 34 shots in defeat.
While killing a penalty, Clutterbuck opened the scoring 9:46 into the game,
and Koivu extended the lead to 2-0 with 2:02 remaining in the first period.
"They got a decent start on us," Stars coach Marc Crawford said. "Sometimes
you don't do enough to overcome it."
Eriksson put Dallas on the board at 3:33 of the second and tied the game on
the power play with 4:09 remaining in the middle stanza. Zidlicky restored the
lead for Minnesota with 1:48 to play in the period.
Backstrom turned aside all seven shots he faced in the third as the Wild held
on for the one-goal victory.
Game Notes
Dallas forward Brad Richards collected an assist, extending his point streak
to eight games. He has notched three goals and eight assists during his
run...The Stars finished 2-for-6 on the power play, while Minnesota went 0-
for-5 with the man advantage.
©2009 Sports Network. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
