National Hockey League
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Minnesota 6, Dallas 2
When: 8:00 PM ET, Sunday, February 22, 2015
Where: Xcel Energy Center, Saint Paul, Minnesota
Referees: Brian Pochmara, Dan O'Rourke
Linesmen: Mark Wheler, Michel Cormier
Attendance: 18754

Wild 6, Stars 2: Zach Parise scored twice during a six-goal third-period blitz as host Minnesota won its third straight to move into a wild-card spot for the first time in three months.

Mikael Granlund added a goal and two assists while captain Mikko Koivu, Stephane Veilleux and rookie defenseman Matt Dumba also tallied as the Wild improved to 11-1-1 in their last 13 games. Blue-liner Christian Folin collected a pair of assists and Devan Dubnyk made 18 saves to boost his record to 13-2-1 since being acquired from Arizona.

Jason Spezza scored both goals for Dallas, which lost its third in a row following its second straight third-period meltdown as it surrendered four goals in the final 20 minutes of Saturday's 7-6 overtime loss to Detroit. Jhonas Enroth, who allowed seven goals against Minnesota while with Buffalo in Dubnyk's Wild debut, finished with 29 saves.

Trailing 1-0 after two periods, Minnesota tied it 1:40 into the third as Parise swept home a perfect backhand pass by Folin from along the left-wing boards and went ahead less than two minutes later, when Koivu forced a turnover and beat Enroth between the pads from the bottom of the left faceoff circle. Veilleux made it a two-goal advantage with 11:19 to play, shoveling home a rebound while surrounded by four defenders for his first goal since April 5.

Dumba buried a snap shot from the top of the right circle during a power play at 13:25 before Granlund and Parise turned it into a blowout. Spezza, who opened the scoring with a blast from the right circle while on a man advantage with 5:27 left in the second session, added a meaningless goal with 1:43 remaining.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Parise scored his 10th and 11th goals in 18 career games against Dallas. ... Spezza has netted five tallies in his last eight contests - a span during which he's amassed 12 points - while Stars captain Jamie Benn extended his point streak to seven games with an assist. ... The Wild, who were missing D Jared Spurgeon for a second straight game, had killed off 32 consecutive penalties since the All-Star break before Spezza's second-period goal.
Top Game Performances
 
Dallas   Minnesota
Jason Spezza 2 Points Mikael Granlund 3
Jason Spezza 2 Goals Zach Parise 2
Jamie Benn 1 Assists Mikael Granlund 2
Jason Spezza 1 Power Play Goals Mathew Dumba 1
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
Jhonas Enroth .829 Save Percentage Devan Dubnyk .900
Jhonas Enroth 29 Saves Devan Dubnyk 18
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Dallas 20 2 1-3 1-2 4 41
Minnesota 35 6 1-2 2-3 6 31
Upcoming Games
  • Minnesota will play their next game at home against Edmonton. The Wild have a W/L % of .548 after a win and .500 after a loss.
  • Dallas will play their next game on the road against Winnipeg. The Stars have a W/L % of .556 after a win and .364 after a loss.