Minnesota 5, Arizona 1
When: 9:00 PM ET, Friday, March 5, 2021
Where: Gila River Arena, Glendale, Arizona
Referees:
Garrett Rank, Kyle Rehman
Linesmen:
Ryan Gibbons, Trent Knorr
Attendance:
2541
By Field Level Media
Mats Zuccarello and Jordan Greenway each netted one goal and one assist to lead the Minnesota Wild to a 5-1 victory over the Arizona Coyotes on Friday night in Glendale, Ariz.
Rookie goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen made 24 saves while Marcus Foligno and Kirill Kaprizov each collected two assists for the Wild, who snapped a two-game losing skid. Minnesota's Nick Bjugstad, Kevin Fiala and Brad Hunt also scored.
Kahkonen has won six consecutive games while stopping 152 of 162 shots.
Clayton Keller scored and Antti Raanta made 22 saves for the Coyotes, who have lost three of four games and have dropped three consecutive home games.
The clubs will meet again Saturday in Arizona.
The Wild had the early momentum and were rewarded with a trio of first-period goals, starting with Zuccarello's opening tally at 4:27 of the opening period. After a faceoff, Kaprizov fed a pass to Zuccarello in the slot, and Zuccarello ripped a top-corner glove-side shot for his fourth goal of the season.
Hunt's first goal of the campaign doubled the lead. Hunt's long wrist shot from the point made it through the maze of players in front of the net at 13:18 of the first.
Bjugstad made it a 3-0 affair 69 seconds later thanks to Kaprizov's slick pass. The rookie sent the puck backward to Bjugstad as he was heading behind the net, and there was no mistake with Raanta caught looking the wrong way.
Greenway extended the Minnesota lead to 4-0 five minutes into the second period. After being sprung on a breakaway by Foligno, Greenway slipped a shot through Raanta's legs for his fourth goal of the season.
Foligno has collected three goals and three assists in three games during his team's current road trip.
Kahkonen's shutout bid was snapped when Keller buried a sharp-angled one-timer 4:59 into the third period to give him a three-game goal-scoring streak.
Fiala rounded out the scoring with 74 seconds remaining.
The Coyotes did receive some good news, as No. 1 goalie Darcy Kuemper returned to the roster after missing three games due to injury. Kuemper served as backup, and he likely will play Saturday.
--Field Level Media
Top Game Performances
Minnesota |
|
Arizona |
Jordan Greenway 2 |
Points |
Clayton Keller 1 |
Jordan Greenway 1 |
Goals |
Clayton Keller 1 |
Marcus Foligno 2 |
Assists |
Niklas Hjalmarsson 1 |
N/A |
Power Play Goals |
N/A |
N/A |
Short Handed Goals |
N/A |
Kaapo Kahkonen .960 |
Save Percentage |
Antti Raanta .815 |
Kaapo Kahkonen 24 |
Saves |
Antti Raanta 22 |
Team Stats Summary
Team |
Shots |
Goals |
Power Play |
Penalty Kill |
Penalty Mins |
Face Offs Won |
Minnesota
|
27 |
5 |
0-4 |
3-3 |
6 |
29 |
Arizona
|
25 |
1 |
0-3 |
4-4 |
8 |
40 |
Upcoming Games
-
Arizona will play their next game at home against Minnesota. The Coyotes have a W/L % of .300 after a win and .583 after a loss.
-
Minnesota will play their next game on the road against Arizona. The Wild have a W/L % of .583 after a win and .625 after a loss.