Matt Boldy's three-game goal streak highlights a simplified approach

Kirill Kaprizov isn't the only Wild player on the upswing.

So is Matt Boldy.

While Kaprizov shined during a Sunday matinee, pushing his point streak to a career-best nine games with a three-point performance, Boldy continued his strong play of late in a 4-3 victory over the Coyotes at Xcel Energy Center by scoring the game-winner.

The second-year winger now has three goals in his past three games, the longest goal streak of his career.

"It's obviously nice to score," said Boldy, whose nine tallies rank second on the team behind only Kaprizov's 13. "There's still parts of my game I want to be better with, just possessing pucks and making more plays. If you win the game, that's the important part.

"The goals are nice, but it's nothing too crazy. I'd take that win over a goal any day."

This surge by Boldy comes on the heels of an eight-game goalless skid.

The change?

He simplified his game, coach Dean Evason said.

"[Boldy was] trying to make too many passes and the perfect play as opposed to just letting it go, going straightforward," Evason explained. "I think that's something he's concentrated on, not only going forward with the puck but with his feet.

"He's skated well. He's getting to the net, and he's shooting the puck."

Marcus Foligno missed most of the second period after getting dinged with a slew of penalties, including a 10-minute misconduct.

During a stoppage in play, Foligno and Arizona's Liam O'Brien fought and after the two were separated, Foligno received an extra two minutes for roughing; Foligno pushed O'Brien before the fight, and all this stemmed from O'Brien telling Foligno he "snowed the goalie," Foligno said.

"I didn't really know it was putting my team shorthanded after the fight," Foligno said. "Didn't really know what was the start of it. It's just frustrating."

While in the penalty box, Foligno threw his helmet and was hit with an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty and the 10-minute misconduct. He was screaming across the ice while getting escorted to the Wild bench.

"I felt a little bit disrespected there," said Foligno, who ended up with 19 minutes in penalties. "I don't know how you give a guy an extra two for something that there's really nothing there. It's just a five-minute fighting penalty. Give two guys each five minutes and move on. Sometimes these referees try to be bigger than the game."

During the ensuing four-minute power play, the Coyotes failed to convert before taking a penalty that led to 4-on-4 action and a Sam Steel goal assisted by Kaprizov.

"We killed that four minutes off," Evason said. "It was a big point in the game."

Filip Gustavsson did not suit up against Arizona, with Zane McIntyre backing up starting goalie Marc-Andre Fleury after the Wild recalled McIntyre from the minors on Saturday under emergency conditions.

Gustavsson was supposed to face Arizona but suffered an upper-body injury at practice Saturday.

The team doesn't believe the issue is serious enough to sideline him for the next practice.

Jonas Brodin was back in action on Sunday after missing two in a row due to illness, and the game was the 700th of his career while Frederick Gaudreau made his 200th appearance.

Brodin became just the fourth player in team history to skate in 700 contests for the Wild, joining Mikko Koivu (1,028), Jared Spurgeon (792) and Nick Schultz (743).

The Wild played seven defensemen in Brodin's return, with Nic Petan the forward coming out of the lineup.

Rookie Marco Rossi was also scratched, the fourth consecutive game he's been idle.