VANCOUVER, British Columbia _ The Wild have figured out some of the best competition in the NHL this season, upending the likes of the Penguins, Golden Knights and Predators.
But the second-to-last team in the Western Conference has remained an anomaly.
Until Friday.
In their third crack at the Canucks after going 0-1-1 in previous tries, the Wild finally emerged victorious with a 5-2 victory in front of an announced 17,918 at Rogers Arena that hauled momentum with the team to Edmonton where it will complete a back-to-back Saturday against the Oilers.
It took a team-wide effort to solve the puzzle.
Four lines contributed offensively, 12 players tallied a point and goalie Devan Dubnyk posted 30 saves in his 30th win of the season to help the Wild reinstate their three-point lead over the Stars for the third seed in the Central Division after Dallas won earlier in the night.
Ultimately, though, a familiar face sealed the clincher, as center Eric Staal broke a 2-2 tie with 4 minutes, 22 seconds remaining in the second period when he converted his team-leading 37th goal of the season.
This moved Staal into sole possession of fourth in the NHL's goal-scoring race, as he trails only the Capitals' Alex Ovechkin (40), the Jets' Patrik Laine (39) and the Penguins' Evgeni Malkin (38).
A centering attempt from winger Mikael Granlund was redirected in by Staal, his fourth goal in the last three games and 16th point in the past 10, to settle a back-and-forth tug of war that lasted for much of the first two periods.
Vancouver had the leverage early, scoring just 53 seconds after puck drop. Defenseman Michael Del Zotto gobbled up his own rebound after it squeaked through Dubnyk's legs and skated around the net for a wrap-around with Dubnyk froze in position after the initial save.
Only 49 seconds later, the Wild delivered the equalizer when winger Zach Parise's shot from a poor angle slipped by goalie Anders Nilsson to extend Parise's point streak to six games.
The Canucks put one more puck in the net that period, but the goal was waved off and video review confirmed center Sam Gagner kicked the puck by Dubnyk with 3:24 to go.
Meanwhile, the Wild also had a few close calls; winger Charlie Coyle sent the puck through the crease and into Nilsson's pads despite staring down an unprotected net. And center Matt Cullen was robbed by Nilsson's glove after a turnover deep in the Canucks' zone.
But not long after Cullen missed on that chance, he was vindicated during a look off the rush _ deking around Nilsson just 2:46 into the second after accepting a pass from winger Tyler Ennis. It was Cullen's 10th goal of the season, a plateau he's reached in 16 of his 20 NHL seasons. The veteran ended up with a season-high seven shots.
That lead didn't last long, though. At 7:51, the Canucks tied it at 2 when winger Jussi Jokinen buried a rebound off an Erik Gudbrandon shot _ a goal that was upstaged later in the period by Staal's fourth game-winner of the season.
Coyle added an empty-netter with 44 seconds remaining off a setup by Cullen before winger Marcus Foligno added a fifth with 14 seconds left.
Neither team capitalized on the power play, as the Wild went 0 for 2 and the Canucks blanked on their lone look. Nilsson finished with 31 saves.
