National Hockey League
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Anaheim 5, Minnesota 4
When: 8:00 PM ET, Friday, December 5, 2014
Where: Xcel Energy Center, Saint Paul, Minnesota
Referees: Chris Rooney, Rob Martell
Linesmen: Steve Barton, Andy McElman
Attendance: 19044

Ducks 5, Wild 4: Matt Beleskey scored the go-ahead goal at 8:28 of the third period as visiting Anaheim skated to its third straight win and sixth in eight games.

Ryan Kesler collected two goals and an assist while Tim Jackman registered one of each for the Ducks, who saw former Hart Trophy winner Corey Perry suffer a lower-body injury on a hip check by Minnesota defenseman Keith Ballard midway through the first period. Jakob Silfverberg also tallied and Kyle Palmieri notched two assists as Anaheim posted its fifth consecutive victory at Xcel Energy Center.

Defenseman Jonas Brodin and Zach Parise each scored a goal and set up another while captain Mikko Koivu and Parise converted on the power play 11 seconds apart for the Wild, who have dropped four of their last seven (3-3-1). Justin Fontaine also tallied and Mikael Granlund notched a pair of assists for his second multi-point performance of the season.

Fontaine's blast from the top of the right faceoff circle beat Frederik Andersen (21 saves) at 2:07 of the third period to stake Minnesota to a 4-3 lead. Jackman's wrist shot from the left circle handcuffed Darcy Kuemper (13 saves) 90 seconds later before Beleskey one-timed captain Ryan Getzlaf's backhanded centering feed to chase the netminder at 8:28 and bring Niklas Backstrom (three saves) into the contest.

Kesler converted a 2-on-1 rush by wristing a shot from the right circle inside the near post 2:28 into the second period to give the Ducks a 3-0 lead. Minnesota responded as Koivu's attempted centering pass slipped past Andersen at 4:59, Parise scored from the left circle shortly afterward and Brodin's shot from the point with 2:11 left forged a tie.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Minnesota D Ryan Suter missed his second straight contest due to the mumps. ... Palmieri tapped D Cam Fowler's stretch pass to Kesler, who breezed past RW Nino Niederreiter in the neutral zone before beating Kuemper (13 saves) 1:31 into the contest to open the scoring 1:31 into the contest. Silfverberg doubled the advantage over 10 minutes later as he cleaned up a rebound following C Andrew Cogliano's sharp-angle shot off Kuemper's right pad. ... The Wild's two power-play goals tied a franchise record for fastest in team history. They also tallied twice in 11 seconds against Edmonton on Nov. 5, 2007.
Top Game Performances
 
Anaheim   Minnesota
Ryan Kesler 3 Points Jonas Brodin 2
Ryan Kesler 2 Goals Jonas Brodin 1
Kyle Palmieri 2 Assists Mikael Granlund 2
N/A Power Play Goals Zach Parise 1
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
Frederik Andersen .840 Save Percentage Niklas Backstrom 1.000
Frederik Andersen 21 Saves Darcy Kuemper 13
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Anaheim 21 5 0-4 2-4 13 26
Minnesota 25 4 2-4 4-4 13 38
Upcoming Games
  • Minnesota will play their next game at home against NY Islanders. The Wild have a W/L % of .533 after a win and .600 after a loss.
  • Anaheim will play their next game on the road against Winnipeg. The Ducks have a W/L % of .647 after a win and .545 after a loss.