National Hockey League
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Minnesota 4, St. Louis 2
When: 8:00 PM ET, Thursday, April 10, 2014
Where: Xcel Energy Center, Saint Paul, Minnesota
Referees: Jean Hebert, Dennis LaRue
Linesmen: Scott Cherrey, Darren Gibbs
Attendance: 18664

Wild 4, Blues 2: Kyle Brodziak recorded his 11th career two-goal performance and John Curry made 43 saves in his season debut as host Minnesota snapped its nine-game winless streak versus St. Louis.

Nino Niederreiter recorded a goal and an assist, Matt Moulson also tallied and Matt Cooke set up a pair of scores for the Wild, who improved to 6-0-1 in their last seven contests. Defenseman Christian Folin notched an assist and finished with a plus-3 rating in his NHL debut.

Defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk scored during a 5-on-3 advantage and Jaden Schwartz netted a short-handed goal for the Blues, who saw T.J. Oshie exit the contest after a brutal hit from Mike Rupp. The latter was handed a match penalty for deliberate injury.

Brian Elliott made two saves in relief of Ryan Miller, who yielded four goals on 13 shots as St. Louis dropped a season-high fourth in a row and was overtaken by Colorado for first place in the Central Division. The Avalanche, who defeated Vancouver, pulled even in points with the Blues but own the tiebreaker.

After the teams traded short-handed goals, Moulson deposited a cross-crease pass from Dany Heatley past Miller with 2 1/2 minutes remaining in the second period to give Minnesota a 3-2 lead. Brodziak, who snapped a 17-game goalless drought earlier in the contest, scored 58 seconds into the third on a sharp-angle shot from along the end line.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Rupp, who was playing in his first game since Feb. 1, flattened Oshie with an elbow to the head midway through the second period. The United States Olympian remained on the ice for several moments as play continued and did not return to the contest. ... Minnesota captain Mikko Koivu played in his 600th career game. ... The Wild failed to convert on all four power-play opportunities and are 0-for-27 in the last seven meetings with the Blues. ... St. Louis' previous loss to Minnesota was a 3-2 shootout defeat on Nov. 19, 2011.
Top Game Performances
 
St. Louis   Minnesota
Alexander Steen 2 Points Kyle Brodziak 2
Jaden Schwartz 1 Goals Kyle Brodziak 2
Alexander Steen 2 Assists Matt Cooke 2
Kevin Shattenkirk 1 Power Play Goals N/A
Jaden Schwartz 1 Short Handed Goals Kyle Brodziak 1
Brian Elliott 1.000 Save Percentage John Curry .956
Ryan Miller 9 Saves John Curry 43
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
St. Louis 45 2 1-4 4-4 18 25
Minnesota 15 4 0-4 3-4 16 20
Upcoming Games
  • Minnesota will play their next game at home against Nashville. The Wild have a W/L % of .571 after a win and .487 after a loss.
  • St. Louis will play their next game on the road against Dallas. The Blues have a W/L % of .642 after a win and .667 after a loss.