WINNIPEG, Manitoba _ With the trade deadline arriving Wednesday, it'll be interesting to see if Wild management reacts to Tuesday's near collapse against the Jets before snagging a 6-5 victory.
With the Wild running on fumes playing for a second straight night without mumps-stricken veteran forwards Zach Parise and Jason Pominville, No. 1 defenseman Ryan Suter was injured in the first period and the Wild subsequently crumbled.
The result was Bruce Boudreau pulling a goalie for the first time in 61 games this season. Darcy Kuemper gave up five goals on 26 shots and was replaced by Devan Dubnyk with 8:43 left.
But with 2 minutes, 10 seconds left, after the Wild killed their second straight penalty, Erik Haula made a tremendous pass to a wide-open Jason Zucker, who buried his 20th goal and the winner.
The final goal against Kuemper by Mark Scheifele, who had three points, was a laser and came less than two minutes after Joel Armia scored a fluky short-handed goal. After defenseman Matt Dumba couldn't keep a puck in the offensive zone, Scheifele sent Armia in. His shot hit a stanchion and ricocheted back into the crease before deflecting in off Kuemper's back.
Depending on the severity of Suter's injury, the Wild may need to look at acquiring a defenseman Wednesday. Depending on how worried the team is about the mumps outbreak, the Wild may need bodies. Depending on how worried the Wild are about Kuemper's most recent erratic performance, they may need a backup goalie.
However, the win gave the Western Conference-leading Wild 88 points to top last season's total of 87. The Wild, who play in Columbus on Thursday and are 15-1-1 in their past 17 road games, beat Winnipeg for the fourth time this season and came after coach Bruce Boudreau said earlier in the day he expected a tough game and "we'll just have to dig deep."
He wasn't kidding.
The Wild carried a 3-1 lead into the second period after Mikael Granlund's three-point period.
He registered his team-leading 15th multi-point game, leads the NHL with 45 points since Dec. 7 and now ranks 10th in the NHL with 59 points in 61 games.
The third goal by Haula came on a five-minute power play after Suter was crushed into the end wall by Jets defenseman Paul Postma. Suter stayed down on the ice for several moments, then skated slowly to the bench with the aid of medical trainer John Worley. Suter, with Jets fans booing in accusatory form as if he embellished, played two shifts where he was obviously laboring.
He didn't play the final two periods.
Granlund, Tyler Graovac, Marco Scandella and newcomer Ryan White, the Manitoba native playing in front of his parents and sisters, also scored as the Wild scored five-plus goals for the 15th time in the past 34 games.
Martin Hanzal, acquired with White from Arizona on Monday, had his first two assists with the Wild and with any team other than the Coyotes after a decade in the desert. Chris Stewart also had two assists.
The Wild made it 4-1 early in the second after Hanzal's terrific board battle led to Scandella' goal. Kuemper then gave up a soft goal to Adam Lowry, but all seemed fine when Stewart forced Mark Stuart into a turnover. White whipped home his second goal in two games with Minnesota to end Connor Hellebuyck's night.
But the Wild took their foot off the gas, not even registering a shot in the final 6:41 of the period. Blake Wheeler set up Mathieu Perreault's late goal to cut the deficit to 5-3, which gave Winnipeg life.
Rookie Patrik Laine, pointless in three previous games against Minnesota and demoted to the fourth line in the last meeting, scored 62 seconds into the game.
But captain Mikko Koivu stripped a puck, then headmanned a pass to Granlund for a breakaway and team-leading 21st goal. Later, after a mammoth shift by Granlund that included a single-man forecheck that led to a line change, Granlund, from his knees, fed Graovac for a tap-in 2-1 lead.
Late on a poor power play after the Postma major and with Boudreau using all four of his lines, Granlund danced at the offensive blue line to enter the zone and feed Haula for a power-play goal.
Boudreau noted earlier in the day how perfect the timing was to acquire Hanzal and White. The Wild had no clue at the time Parise and Pominville were sick.
"If we didn't make that move, not only us, would Iowa be able to field a team the way they've been decimated," Boudreau said, noting that Iowa has lost six forwards recently to trade, callup, waivers, injury and suspension.
