The Wild's checklist for the rest of the season might look like this:
Wild rebounds from St. Louis losses by thumping Coyotes with team effort
A suddenly resurgent power play had three goals in the matinee at Xcel Energy Center.
April 15, 2021 at 11:58AM
• Get healthier.
• Reinforce a balanced attack, including on the power play.
• Keep the teams below it in the West Division at a distance.
What can happen when the Wild accomplishes all three played out Wednesday at Xcel Energy Center, where the Wild rebounded from back-to-back letdowns last weekend in St. Louis to run away 5-2 from the Coyotes.
This was the sixth time this season the Wild has avoided losing three in a row.
"Everybody contributed," coach Dean Evason said. "Everybody we felt played real well — a real team effort."
The power play went a perfect 3-for-3, including two goals from Mats Zuccarello set up by Marcus Johansson, and the fourth line was the Wild's best, led by Nick Bonino's three-point effort and a two-point showing from Zach Parise in the Wild's 13th win over its last 14 home games.
"There wasn't a fourth line tonight or a No. 1 line," Evason said. "Everybody rolled, and it was really nice for us to see that happen."
The Wild, third in the West Division, also dealt a serious blow to the Coyotes' chances of catching it by gaining a 10-point lead over fifth-place Arizona.
"We talked about that before the game," said Marcus Foligno, who returned to the lineup after missing 15 games with a broken ankle. "We understand that the next couple games can kind of push us away from that pile, so it's big to keep teams there and for us to keep climbing in the standings."
Zuccarello converted the first power play goal 16 minutes, 31 seconds into the first period, slipping the puck by Coyotes goalie Antti Raanta with a shot off the rush set up by Johansson.
Just 2:16 into the second, Arizona responded with its own power play goal, a rising shot by Jakob Chychrun from inside the left faceoff circle.
But Bonino's line with Parise and Nico Sturm reinstated the Wild's lead when Parise buried a Bonino rebound at 7:28 for his second goal in his last three games after a 14-game drought.
With 46 seconds remaining in the second, the power play capitalized again, this time when Bonino finished off a Kirill Kaprizov pass that bounced to the front of the net after hitting the skate of Arizona's Alex Goligoski.
The power play continued to roll in the third, going 3-for-3 at 4:30 when Zuccarello wristed in a drop pass from Johansson. It was the first time in Zuccarello's career he's scored twice on the power play in a game.
"Two great plays by him," Zuccarello said of Johansson.
Overall, the Wild has 12 goals on the power play over its last seven games. The Coyotes went 1-for-4.
"We talked a lot about the power play early and how unsuccessful it was," Evason said. "To have it contribute now, at this time of the season, we're real happy with that."
Only 1:20 after Zuccarello's goal, the Wild tacked on a fifth when captain Jared Spurgeon crashed the net to redirect in a feed from Parise before Phil Kessel delivered Arizona's final goal at 8:36. Raanta totaled 17 saves.
With an assist on Spurgeon's goal, Bonino registered his first game with at least three points since Oct. 29, 2019.
"For me personally, a night like this has felt like it's been a long time coming," Bonino said.
Add in 28 saves by goalie Cam Talbot, who improved to 9-1 at home this season, and the Wild seemed to discover a template for polishing up its game in the final month of the season.
"Everyone enjoys this time of the year," Zuccarello said. "It's creeping up on the playoffs, and we got to finish strong here and secure a playoff spot. So, I think everyone's excited about that."
After letting 135-footer bounce in early, Fleury steadied himself in 5-3 victory.
