GLENDALE, Ariz., — The Wild began their road trip by blowing a two-goal lead, and that's also how the team finished it.
Only this time, the Wild didn't even snag a consolation point.
After a strong start, the team fell apart in the second period — opening the door for a 5-2 comeback by the Coyotes Saturday in front of 3,141 at Gila River Arena to split the series and send the Wild home 1-2-1 from their four-game trek.
Arizona's Conor Garland broke a 2-2 tie 3 minutes, 57 seconds into the third period on the power play, slinging in a wrist shot after getting left alone in the slot, and the Coyotes tacked on an insurance goal at 6:15 when Tyler Pitlick deflected in a Nicklas Hjalmarsson shot. Pitlick also added an empty-net goal with 47 seconds to go.
Cam Talbot made 25 saves, and former Wild goalie Darcy Kuemper had 32 in his first game back from a lower-body injury.
Like they did Friday, the Wild had control early — jumping out to a two-goal lead.
Nick Bjugstad's redirect of a Zach Parise pass bounced around the crease until a pinching Matt Dumba buried the puck in the back of the net at 14:20 of the first period.
Only 52 seconds after that, Jordan Greenway scored his second goal in as many games with a shot off the rush through traffic that eluded Kuemper. Greenway has seven points in his last six games.
His line with Joel Eriksson Ek and Marcus Foligno was a handful for the Coyotes that period, but a fighting major late in the first for Foligno took him out of the rotation to start the second and the Wild spent the entire period looking scrambly.
At 1:25, Arizona started its comeback after Lawson Crouse deposited a rebound behind goalie Cam Talbot.
On an ensuing Wild power play, Dumba collided with captain Jared Spurgeon trying to enter the offensive zone and the Coyotes' Christian Fischer went the other way on a breakaway that Talbot stopped.
But the Wild got even more out of sorts after that, and the Coyotes took advantage — pulling even at 2 by 13:32 when Jakob Chychrun's point shot clipped off Ian Cole and sailed by Talbot during a delayed Wild penalty.
Arizona continued to pressure the Wild, who looked absolutely frazzled as the Coyotes played keep away. After a tripping penalty to Cole, the period mercifully came to an end for the Wild, but the team was back on the penalty kill not long after Cole returned and that's when the Coyotes began to pull away for good.
They went 1 for 4 with the man advantage, while the Wild sunk deeper into its slump at 0 for 2. Overall, the unit is scoreless in its last 17 chances and remains last in the NHL.
