Wild 4, Coyotes 3
GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Dany Heatley had his second two-goal game of the season and Jason Spurgeon scored his first of the year as Minnesota held on to beat Phoenix 4-3 on Thursday night to extend its best streak of the season.
Healtley, who had one goal since Jan. 27, gave the Wild a 2-0 lead late in the first period when he skated in alone from the left side and beat Coyotes goaltender Mike Smith through the five hole.
Heatley put a one-timer past Smith just seconds after a Coyotes power play ended at 6:03 of the second period for a 3-0 lead, and Spurgeon countered a goal by Coyotes defenseman Rostislov Klesla with a power-play goal for a 4-1 lead with four minutes left in the second period.
Phoenix's Keith Yandle scored a bizarre goal late in the third period when his dump-in pass from near the blue line ricocheted off the boards and bounced through goalie Niklas Backstrom with 4:39 remaining.
Shane Doan brought the Coyotes within one with 59 seconds remaining after the Coyotes pulled their goaltender. It was Doan's 100th goal at Jobing.com Arena.
The Wild (10-7-2) have won six of their last nine games and tied one.
Backstrom stopped 25 shots and is 5-1-1 in his last seven starts, giving up 12 goals.
Phoenix (9-8-3) dropped one point behind the Wild in the Western Conference standings.
Heatley, an 11-year veteran, scored two goals in the season opener against Colorado on Jan. 19 and had four goals in the first five games before hitting a scoring drought. His only other goal this season came Feb. 17 against Detroit.
Smith limited the Wild to one goal in the Coyotes' 2-1 victory in the first meeting of the series Feb. 4, but the Wild equaled that 95 seconds into the game when Jason Zucker tipped in a centering pass from Cullen. Zucker has three goals in five games since being recalled from Houston on Feb. 16 after leading the Aeros with 41 points, including 19 goals, in 47 games.
Cullen and Devin Setocuchi assisted on both of Heatley's goals.
Klesla broke Backstrom's shutout 10:58 into the second period, skating in on the right side and beating Backstrom with a backhander to the stick side. Klesla had three goals in the regular season and two in the playoffs last year when the Coyotes made the Western Conference finals.
Jason LaBarbera replaced Smith in the third period.
NOTES: Daytona 500 winner Jimmy Johnson dropped the ceremonial first puck before the game. Johnson, a five-time NASCAR season series champion, is to drive in the Subway Fresh Fit 500 at Phoenix International Raceway on Sunday. ... The Coyotes were without center Maritin Hanzal and right winger Radim Vrbata, who combined for the final goal in a 2-1 victory over Minnesota the last time the teams met here Feb. 4. Hanzal scored on a Vrbata assist. Vrbata (lower body injury) has missed the last four games and Hanzal (upper body injury) has missed the last five. ... The Coyotes began a stretch of six of seven games at home Thursday after playing six of their previous eight on the road. Phoenix opens the NHL's version of a three-game series against Anaheim this weekend, playing home games against the Ducks on Saturday and Monday before facing Anaheim on Wednesday. ... Minnesota winger Cal Clutterbuck (lower body injury) was placed on injured reserve after being kneed by Edmonton's Tyler Hall a week ago. Hall was given a two-game suspension. ... Yandle played in his 275th consecutive game Thursday, second in the league among defensemen behind Calgary's Jay Bouwmeester (607 games).
