Wild Get 3 Goals In 2nd Period To Defeat Devils
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Joel Eriksson Ek and Chris Stewart scored in a 39-second span during Minnesota's three-goal second period, and the Wild rallied from two down to beat the New Jersey Devils 4-2 on Thursday night.
Wild defenseman Mike Reilly also scored in the second period and Eric Staal iced the game with an empty-net goal, his 900th NHL point. Backup goalie Alex Stalock made 38 saves as the Wild moved into third place in the Central Division after winning for the 11th time in 17 games (11-3-3).
Taylor Hall and Stefan Noesen scored for the Devils, who have lost two in a row after a four-game winning streak. Eddie Lack made 21 saves.
Hall's 13-game point streak is the longest in NHL this season, one more than David Pastrnak of Boston.
Minnesota coach Bruce Boudreau made the right moves in this one, inserting Reilly and Stewart into the lineup and electing to give No. 1 goaltender Devan Dubnyk a night off.
Reilly, who had sat out the last four games, got Minnesota on the board with a little luck. His shot from the point was stopped by Lack, but the rebound ricocheted off defenseman John Moore into the net at 7:28 of the second period. It came six seconds after a Minnesota power play ended.
Eriksson Ek, who snapped a 50-game goal drought on Tuesday, poked a great, one-handed, cross-ice pass by Daniel Winnik past Lack at 12:25 to tie the game.
Stewart, who had played in only one of the last seven games, capped the outburst with a shot from the left circle that Lack probably should have stopped. It was Stewart's first goal since Dec. 19.
Stalock made the lead stand up in the final period, stopping 16 shots including excellent saves on Hall, Nico Hischier and Kyle Palmieri.
The Devils seemed to be in control early in the second period when Noesen scored in close to make it 2-0.
Hall had given New Jersey the lead midway through the first with a power-play goal on a shot from the right circle. He has scored in three straight games and has 26 goals this season.
NOTES: One of biggest cheers of the night was for the United States women's hockey team. Highlights of the gold-medal win over Canada were shown in the first period. ... Devils forward Miles Wood was back in the lineup after serving a two-game suspension for boarding. ... Minnesota's bus ride from New York City in the rain — roughly 13 miles — took 90 minutes. ... Patrik Elias, whose jersey will be retired Saturday by the Devils, dropped the puck for a ceremonial opening faceoff.
Wild: Finish a New York City-area swing at the Rangers on Friday night.
Devils: Host the New York Islanders on Saturday night.
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