ST. PAUL, Minn. _ The Wild's five-game homestand opened with an extra-time loss and also ended with one, as the Ducks secured an 11-round 3-2 shootout win on Saturday afternoon at Xcel Energy Center.
With the win, Anaheim pulls into a tie with the Wild for the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference.
Ducks winger Nick Ritchie delivered the decisive goal in Round No. 11.
Goalie Devan Dubnyk racked up 29 saves; John Gibson had 36 for the Ducks.
A sluggish start put the Wild in rally mode from almost the drop of the puck.
Winger Nino Niederreiter committed a holding penalty just 27 seconds into the first, and at the 50-second mark the Ducks capitalized. Center Adam Henrique shrugged off winger Mikael Granlund to slide the puck ahead to winger Corey Perry, who slid it around Dubnyk for the early 1-0 lead.
Anaheim continued to look in charge until about the halfway point of the period. That's when the Wild picked up their pace, a better push that culminated in the tying goal at 15:36.
The puck squirted out to captain Mikko Koivu, who was posted up inside the blue line, and his wind-up eluded Gibson.
That improvement continued in the second, with the Wild outshooting the Ducks 14-7 and eventually finding the go-ahead goal _ even after another Niederreiter penalty, this one high-sticking, put the Wild on the penalty kill in the first minute of the period again. Overall, the Ducks finished 1 for 3 on the power play, while the Wild were 0 for 3.
After winger Jason Zucker skated into the slot from the corner, he lifted his stick to redirect a Nate Prosser shot down and through Gibson's legs 7:56 into the second period. The goal was immediately waved off but after the officials discussed the play, the deflection counted with Zucker's stick shy of the crossbar for his 23rd goal of the season _ which set a new career high.
But the Wild weren't as eager in the third, a shift that proved costly.
Only 6:12 into the period, the Ducks tied it at 2 when winger Ondrej Kase stopped a Hampus Lindholm shot at the top of the crease and directed it around Dubnyk.
