ANAHEIM, Calif. -- An out-of-character offensive performance and strong goaltending relieved a frustrating start to the Anaheim Ducks' season.

The Ducks ended a scoring drought with a 4-1 win over the Minnesota Wild on Sunday night in front of 16,784 at the Honda Center.

Defenseman Cam Fowler scored Anaheim's first goal in 173 minutes midway through the first period. Centers Rickard Rakell and Mike Santorelli and defenseman Hampus Lindholm also scored.

Goaltender Anton Khudobin made 34 saves in his second start of the season as the Ducks (1-3-1) earned their first win.

Before Fowler's goal, the Ducks scored just once this season, in the second game of the season.

"We got the monkey off our back, finally," Khudobin said. "When you haven't won a lot, like the way we started, the stick is always really tight in your hands."

Khudobin's performance contrasted with his first start, when he allowed three goals on eight shots and played just 13 minutes Wednesday night in a 4-0 loss to the Arizona Coyotes.

"I said to myself, 'Don't focus on anything, just shot after shot,'" Khudobin said. "One shot, next shot, third shot and just keep going. Whatever the score is going to be, whatever the game's going to turn on, you just have to deal with it."

Minnesota (3-1-1) absorbed its second successive loss after winning its first three games.

"It might have been our best game of the year," Wild coach Mike Yeo said. "It feels like you're controlling the play, and then at the end of the night, you leave wondering why you didn't win."

The Ducks broke a 1-1 tie at 16:01 of the first period. Rakell became the first forward to score for Anaheim this season when he deflected Lindholm's slap shot past goalie Devan Dubnyk. Lindholm fired from the blue line after receiving right winger Corey Perry's pass from the left corner.

"When we're playing perimeter hockey and we're getting too cute, that's when we get in a lot of trouble," Fowler said. "We have a lot of guys who can really control the puck down low. When we get a chance, we're able to spread teams out, and when we get pucks to the net, we let our big guys go the work. That's when we're at our best."

The Wild fired 29 shots on goal in the final two periods, but Khudobin stopped them all. One minute into the second period, left winger Zach Parise hit the post on a close wrist shot. Halfway into the period, center Mikko Koivu's slap shot from the slot hit the crossbar during a power play.

"We had empty nets and we missed the puck," Koivu said. "We hit crossbars and posts. It was basically a one-goal game in the third period, but it's getting frustrating when you get those kind of chances and can't score."

Santorelli extended the lead to 3-1 at 8:58 of the third period when he tucked the puck under Dubnyk's right pad. Lindholm ended the scoring with an empty-net goal at 18:51.

Anaheim took a 1-0 lead at 10:08 of the first period. Fowler converted a wrist shot from the blue line after center Ryan Getzlaf passed to Fowler from behind the Wild's net.

Nearly three minutes later, Minnesota exploited a turnover to tie the score on right winger Nino Niederreiter's second goal of the season at 12:55. Koivu began the scoring sequence by taking the puck from Getzlaf at the left-wing boards and freeing Niederreiter for a breakaway. Lindholm tried to poke-check the puck from behind, but Niederreiter dragged a low wrist shot from close range.

Dubnyk finished with 18 saves.

NOTES: Minnesota scratched G Niklas Backstrom and D Nate Prosser. ... Wild D Jared Spurgeon played in his 300th career game and D Jonas Brodin competed in his 200th. ... Wild D Ryan Suter's four-game point streak, which ended Sunday, was the longest to start a season in his career. ... Anaheim scratched RW Tim Jackman, D Shea Theodore and C Chris Wager. ... The Ducks recalled D Shea Theodore and D Korbinian Holzer from their AHL affiliate in San Diego on Saturday and placed D Clayton Stoner and D Simon Despres on injured reserve. Stoner missed his third game. Despres left Friday night's game against Colorado in the second period after being hit by Avalanche D Tyson Barrie, who received a fine and a three-game suspension from the NHL on Saturday.