Advertisement

Wild coughs up two-goal lead, falls to Coyotes 4-3

A 3-1 lead is erased after Coyotes erupt for three goals in the third period

November 28, 2018 at 2:06PM

It was a textbook period that the Wild would chalk up as a success every single time.

Not only did the team score twice in the second period to establish a lead with insurance, it limited the Coyotes to just a single shot on net — an innocuous floater with less than three minutes on the clock.

The lopsided period, however, might not have been as harmless because it seemed to equip the Wild with a false sense of security.

Instead of maintaining its edge, the team collapsed the next period and the Coyotes seized control to stun the Wild 4-3 Tuesday in front of 18,706 at Xcel Energy Center.

"We gotta be able to come out for the third and play the same way we did in the second," defenseman Jared Spurgeon said. "It just felt like our emotion was gone, and they just took it to us."

Arizona was efficient in its response, securing three goals on seven shots in a mere 5 minutes, 32 seconds. It was an eye-popping turnaround considering the Coyotes, who had dropped their previous four games and rank near the bottom of the standings, limped through most of the action.

Coyotes winger Josh Archibald capped off the comeback at 8:39 when he split the Wild defense and shot over goalie Devan Dubnyk's failed poke-check attempt.

"The puck kind of stayed up on end, which made it easier for him to lift it over," said Dubnyk, who recorded just 10 saves.

Advertisement
Advertisement

Earlier in the frame, the Coyotes started to chip away at its two-goal deficit when Archibald's rising shot eluded Dubnyk's blocker at 3:07.

The Wild challenged the goal to determine if the play was offside but not only did the goal stand, the Coyotes were awarded a power play for the Wild's unsuccessful challenge.

Arizona didn't capitalize, going 0-for-1; the Wild went 1-for-2.

"I was guessing," coach Bruce Boudreau said. "I was being told it was offside and I said, 'We've got good penalty killing. Let's give it a try here.' "

Only 3:55 later, the Coyotes scored again on a shot by winger Michael Grabner that rolled behind Dubnyk.

"I didn't do a good job on the goals I think," said defenseman Jonas Brodin, who was on the ice for all four of the Coyotes' goals along with partner Matt Dumba. "Just some bad plays. It happens. I've got to be better."

Advertisement

The Coyotes opened the scoring 4:49 into the first on a seeing-eye shot from winger Lawson Crouse, but the Wild retaliated 1:05 after that on a redirection by winger Charlie Coyle.

In the second, the Wild looked poised to pull away for good.

Winger Zach Parise deflected in a carom off the glass at 2:20 on the power play for his team-leading 11th goal that extended Dumba's career-high point streak to seven games. Dumba's run ties Ryan Suter's franchise record for longest point streak by a defenseman.

Later, winger Jason Zucker's shot sailed in at 11:21 after a setup from Spurgeon, who totaled three assists.

"We had a lot of opportunities," center Eric Fehr said. "We kept the puck out of our end for the most part."

But the Coyotes were much better in the third, after goalie Adin Hill replaced Antti Raanta — who left the game because of a lower-body injury

Advertisement
Advertisement

"When you give away a game like that," Spurgeon said, "it hurts."

The Coyotes' Michael Grabner shot the puck past Wild goalie Devan Dubnyk for a third-period goal in Arizona's 4-3 victory at Xcel Energy Center on Tuesday.
The Coyotes' Michael Grabner shot the puck past Wild goalie Devan Dubnyk for a third-period goal in Arizona's 4-3 victory at Xcel Energy Center on Tuesday. (Brian Wicker — Star Tribune/The Minnesota Star Tribune)
Charlie Coyle prepared to shoot the puck on a pass from Mikko Koivu for a goal in the first period. ] CARLOS GONZALEZ ï cgonzalez@startribune.com - November 27, 2018, St. Paul, MN ñ Xcel Energy Center, NHL, Minnesota Wild vs. Arizona Coyotes
Wild winger Charlie Coyle (3) prepared to redirect the puck on a pass from Mikko Koivu for a first-period goal against the Coyotes on Tuesday night. (The Minnesota Star Tribune)
Marcus Foligno fought for the puck in the corner during the first period. ] CARLOS GONZALEZ ï cgonzalez@startribune.com - November 27, 2018, St. Paul, MN ñ Xcel Energy Center, NHL, Minnesota Wild vs. Arizona Coyotes
Marcus Foligno fought for the puck in the corner during the first period. ] CARLOS GONZALEZ ï cgonzalez@startribune.com - November 27, 2018, St. Paul, MN ñ Xcel Energy Center, NHL, Minnesota Wild vs. Arizona Coyotes (The Minnesota Star Tribune)
Mikael Granlund skated off the ice at the end of the game. Arizona beat Minnesota 4-3. ] CARLOS GONZALEZ ï cgonzalez@startribune.com - November 27, 2018, St. Paul, MN ñ Xcel Energy Center, NHL, Minnesota Wild vs. Arizona Coyotes
Mikael Granlund glumly skated off the ice Tuesday after Arizona beat the Wild 4-3. The Wild had carried a 3-1 lead into the third period at Xcel Energy Arena. (The Minnesota Star Tribune)
Advertisement
about the writer

about the writer

Sarah McLellan

Minnesota Wild and NHL

Sarah McLellan covers the Wild and NHL. Before joining the Minnesota Star Tribune in November 2017, she spent five years covering the Coyotes for The Arizona Republic.

See Moreicon

More from Wild

See More
card image

With money to spend in free agency, it's likely some familiar names could be sent packing before next season.

card image
card image
Advertisement
Advertisement

To leave a comment, .

Advertisement