Parise leads Wild past Coyotes

Published 9:00 am Friday, October 16, 2015

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Zach Parise had a goal and an assist, and the Minnesota Wild remained undefeated by holding off the previously-unbeaten Arizona Coyotes 4-3 Thursday night.

The Wild had fresh legs after a four-day layoff between games, jumping on the tired Coyotes for a 3-0 lead.

Parise and Thomas Vanek scored less than a minute apart in the first period and Mikko Koivu added a short-handed goal midway through the second. Mikael Granlund also scored in the second.

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The Coyotes clawed their way back through a string of Minnesota penalties, pulling within 4-3 on Michael Stone’s 4-on-4 goal with just over 5 minutes left.

Devan Dubnyk closed it out, though, stopping 18 shots for his 100th career win. The Wild are 3-0 for the first time since opening 4-0 in 2008-09.

Anthony Duclair scored his fourth goal in two games and Max Domi had his third of the season for Arizona.

The Coyotes’ Mike Smith, who stopped 104 of 106 shots the first three games, was replaced in the second period after allowing three goals.

The Wild opened the season with a pair of wins and had plenty of time to rest up for the surprising Coyotes, last playing in a 3-2 home win over St. Louis on Saturday.

The Coyotes started the season with three straight wins, but were on their second set of back-to-back games after beating Anaheim 4-0 on Wednesday.

Minnesota had the energy edge early and took advantage midway through the first period with a pair of quick goals.

Parise scored the first one, flicking a backhander past Smith on a power play after a shot by Jason Pominville bounced hard off the backboards out front. It was the first power-play goal allowed by Arizona in 12 chances this season.

Vanek scored his 300th career goal 58 seconds later, deking a defender to the ice before squeezing a shot between Smith’s shoulder and the near post.

The Wild kept rolling in the second period, going up 3-0 on a short-handed goal by Koivu, who one-timed a pass from Justin Zucker past Smith.

Arizona brought in Anders Lindback to replace Smith and finally got something going offensively when Duclair one-timed a pass from Domi past Dubnyk.

The momentum lasted 22 seconds; Arizona had another defensive breakdown and Granlund one-timed a pass from Pominville to put the Wild up 4-1.

Domi cut the lead to 4-2 with 10 seconds left in the period, beating Dubnyk between the legs after swatting a loose puck out of the air.

NOTES: Minnesota has won six straight games over the Coyotes. … Arizona had not allowed a first-period goal this season before Minnesota scored twice. … The game was stopped briefly in the first period when Arizona D Connor Murphy’s stick got caught in the Zucker’s and he couldn’t get it loose. … Coyotes C Antoine Vermette left in the second period with a lower-body injury and did not return.