Minnesota 3, Columbus 0
When: 6:00 PM ET, Sunday, April 7, 2013
Where: Nationwide Arena, Columbus, Ohio
Referees:
Eric Furlatt, Mike Leggo
Linesmen:
David Brisebois, Bryan Pancich
Attendance:
15909
By SportsDirect Inc.
Wild 3, Blue Jackets 0: Niklas Backstrom rebounded from being pulled in his previous outing by turning aside all 24 shots he faced while defenseman Ryan Suter and rookie Charlie Coyle each scored a power-play goal as visiting Minnesota snapped a three-game losing streak.
Jason Pominville set up Suter's tally for his first point with his new team. He then converted a 2-on-1 rush for a late insurance goal as the Wild pulled within two points of Northwest Division-leading Vancouver and one of fifth-place San Jose in the Western Conference.
Sergei Bobrovsky finished with 21 saves for the Blue Jackets, who failed to collect a point for the first time in 13 games at Nationwide Arena (9-1-3). Columbus sits four points behind eighth-place Detroit, which dropped a 1-0 decision to St. Louis earlier on Sunday.
Backstrom was pulled after yielding two goals on as many shots versus Los Angeles on Thursday. The veteran Finn put forth a better showing on Sunday as he preserved his 28th career shutout - and second this season - by stopping all 12 Columbus shots in the third period. Backstrom became the first goaltender to record 20 wins this season.
After a scoreless first period, Suter cashed in on Minnesota's first power-play opportunity by wristing a shot from the high slot past Bobrovsky at 3:13 of the second. Coyle doubled the advantage nearly 12 minutes later, redirecting Mikael Granlund's feed on the doorstep for his second goal in three games.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Columbus RW Marian Gaborik, who had a team-high four shots on goal, was the third overall pick of the 2000 draft by Minnesota. Gaborik spent his first eight NHL seasons with the Wild - including a memorable 42-goal, 41-assist performance in 2007-08. ... Backstrom, who made 17 saves in a 3-2 win over the Blue Jackets on Jan. 29, improved to 11-5-1 versus the franchise. ... Columbus suffered its first regulation loss at home since a 3-1 setback to Edmonton on Feb. 10.
Top Game Performances
Minnesota |
|
Columbus |
Jason Pominville 2 |
Points |
N/A |
Jason Pominville 1 |
Goals |
N/A |
Jason Pominville 1 |
Assists |
N/A |
Charlie Coyle 1 |
Power Play Goals |
N/A |
N/A |
Short Handed Goals |
N/A |
Niklas Backstrom 1.000 |
Save Percentage |
Sergei Bobrovsky .875 |
Niklas Backstrom 24 |
Saves |
Sergei Bobrovsky 21 |
Team Stats Summary
Team |
Shots |
Goals |
Power Play |
Penalty Kill |
Penalty Mins |
Face Offs Won |
Minnesota
|
24 |
3 |
2-3 |
4-4 |
8 |
27 |
Columbus
|
24 |
0 |
0-4 |
1-3 |
6 |
25 |
Upcoming Games
-
Columbus will play their next game at home against San Jose. The Blue Jackets have a W/L % of .500 after a win and .318 after a loss.
-
Minnesota will play their next game at home against Chicago. The Wild have a W/L % of .571 after a win and .562 after a loss.