GLENDALE, Ariz. _ One team just traded for a former MVP who immediately became its leading scoring.
The other wasn't even close to full strength, missing three regulars _ all forwards _ and feeling the effects of these injury-related absences.
And yet it was the shorthanded Wild and not the surging Coyotes who won an offensive duel, a 8-5 shootout Thursday at Gila River Arena that snapped the Wild's two-game slide and ensured it didn't leave this three-game road trip empty handed (1-2).
Fourteen different Wild players recorded a point, with veterans Mats Zuccarello, Eric Staal and Marcus Foligno (goal and two assists) leading the way. Winger Ryan Hartman and defenseman Brad Hunt each had a goal and assist, and winger Zach Parise contributed two assists.
Goalie Devan Dubnyk, in his first action since Nov.16, posted 35 saves. Former Wild goalie Darcy Kuemper had 25 stops at the other end before leaving the action late in the third period after making a save on Hartman. He was replaced by Antti Raanta.
Trailing 4-2 to start the third, Arizona _ debuting recent acquisition Taylor Hall on home ice after receiving him from the Devils on Monday _ previewed a frenetic finish when it pulled within a goal just 48 seconds into the period _ a point shot by Oliver Ekman-Larsson that trickled through Dubnyk's five-hole.
By 3:22, the game was tied on Jakob Chychrun's second goal of the night. But the Wild quickly responded.
Only 59 seconds later, Hunt capitalized on bad-angle shot from along the goal line. Center Nico Sturm assisted on the goal, his first NHL point.
And that lead doubled just 36 seconds after Hunt's goal when Zuccarello redirected in a Staal pass to complete his three-point effort.
Again, though, the Coyotes pushed back.
This time, Clayton Keller's shot sailed in at 5:23. But that's as close as Arizona would get. Defenseman Ryan Suter provided insurance at 11:16, extending his point streak to a season-high five games, and winger Luke Kunin wrapped up the parade of goals into an empty net with nine seconds to go.
Eight goals are the most scored by the Wild in a game this season.
The Coyotes' Phil Kessel opened the scoring at 16:14 of the first, burying a turnover behind the net by defenseman Matt Dumba after it worked its way out to the slot to Kessel.
Before then, Dubnyk rattled off 12 saves and finished the period with 16.
But the Wild took over in the second, scoring four times _ which tied the season-high for best output in a period this season.
Winger Ryan Donato started the parade of goals just 2 minutes in, wiring in a shot short side, before Foligno lifted a floater over Kuemper only 1:25 later to cap off two goals on the period's first two shots by the Wild.
Arizona evened it at 9:46 on the power play courtesy a blistering shot from Chychrun. The Coyotes finished 2-for-4, while the Wild went 0-for-2.
But the Wild wrapped the period with a two-goal lead.
The fourth line tallied its second goal when Foligno set up Hartman, who cut to the middle before ripping a shot by Kuemper at 11:11. With 1:45 left in the second, Zuccarello scooped up a Hunt rebound and fed Staal for an open-net conversion that rang up as Staal's 13th (the second-most on the Wild) and fifth in the last five games.
But the cushion wasn't enough, not with a back-and-forth offensive duel on deck.
