National Hockey League
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Minnesota 4, Arizona 3
When: 8:00 PM ET, Saturday, December 13, 2014
Where: Gila River Arena, Glendale, Arizona
Referees: Mike Leggo, Ian Walsh
Linesmen: Shane Heyer, Brian Mach
Attendance: 13975

Wild 4, Coyotes 3 (SO): Zach Parise and captain Mikko Koivu scored in the shootout as visiting Minnesota defeated Arizona for the fourth straight time.

Parise, who netted a power-play goal late in the third period to forge a 3-3 tie, converted in the first round of the bonus format as his wrist shot squeezed inside the left post. Antoine Vermette answered to begin the second round before Koivu's backhand shot sailed just under the crossbar and Tobias Rieder's bid missed the net to end the contest.

Nino Niederreiter converted a power-play opportunity for his team-leading 13th goal for the Wild, who went 2-for-3 with the man advantage to improve to 3-for-47 on the road this season. Jason Zucker also tallied, defenseman Ryan Suter and Jason Pominville each notched two assists and Niklas Backstrom turned aside 27 shots.

Defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Vermette each collected a goal and an assist while Lauri Korpikoski also tallied for the Coyotes, who are mired in a season-high five-game overall winless streak and franchise-worst nine-game slide at home. Mikkel Boedker notched a pair of assists and Devan Dubnyk finished with 32 saves.

Niederreiter deflected Suter's blast 2:48 into the contest to open the scoring, but Ekman-Larsson answered 64 seconds later by one-timing Boedker's feed from the right faceoff circle. The teams traded tallies and Korpikoski cleaned up his own rebound after a 3-on-1 rush with 28 seconds remaining in the second to give Arizona a 3-2 lead, but Parise scored from the right doorstep with 5:53 left in the third to level the contest.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Parise's goal extended his point streak against the Coyotes to 10 games. ... Niederreiter is one tally shy of his career high, set over 81 games during the 2013-14 season. ... Wild D Marco Scandella served the final contest of his two-game suspension for his hit to the head of New York Islanders C Brock Nelson. ... Arizona C Sam Gagner was a healthy scratch.
Top Game Performances
 
Minnesota   Arizona
Jason Pominville 2 Points Oliver Ekman-Larsson 2
Nino Niederreiter 1 Goals Oliver Ekman-Larsson 1
Jason Pominville 2 Assists Mikkel Boedker 2
Nino Niederreiter 1 Power Play Goals Oliver Ekman-Larsson 1
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
Niklas Backstrom .900 Save Percentage Devan Dubnyk .914
Niklas Backstrom 27 Saves Devan Dubnyk 32
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Minnesota 35 4 2-3 2-3 8 25
Arizona 30 3 1-3 1-3 8 34
Upcoming Games
  • Arizona will play their next game at home against Edmonton. The Coyotes have a W/L % of .400 after a win and .300 after a loss.
  • Minnesota will play their next game on the road against Chicago. The Wild have a W/L % of .500 after a win and .667 after a loss.