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.