ST. PAUL, Minn. — The trend continues.
Once again, the Wild avoided a three-game losing streak for the first time this season — rebounding from back-to-back letdowns in St. Louis last weekend by upending the Arizona Coyotes, 5-2, Wednesday afternoon at Xcel Energy Center.
The power play went a perfect 3 for 3, with Mats Zuccarello scoring two of those goals off assists from Marcus Johansson, and goalie Cam Talbot made 28 saves. Nick Bonino and Zach Parise combined for five points, including two goals, in a terrific game by the Wild's fourth line.
With the loss, No. 5 Arizona trails the No. 3 Wild by 10 points in the West Division.
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.
Bonino's line with Parise and Nico Sturm reinstated the Wild's lead, with Parise burying a Bonino rebound at 7:28 for his second goal in his last three games after a 14-game drought.
And then with 46 seconds remaining in the second, Bonino finished off a Kirill Kaprizov pass that bounced to the front of the net after hitting off Coyotes defenseman Alex Goligoski's skate.
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.
Overall, the Wild have 12 goals on the power play over their last seven games. Arizona was 1 for 4.
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. Bonino also earned an assist on the play, his third point of the game, while Parise finished with two.
Phil Kessel got one back for the Coyotes at 8:36, but that's as close as Arizona would get.
Raanta totaled 17 saves.
