LAS VEGAS — Jason Zucker, the only NHL player raised in Nevada, scored a goal and assisted on another to lead the Minnesota Wild over the Vegas Golden Knights 4-2 on Friday might.
The Wild, who had lost two in a row and four of seven, completed a 3-0 season sweep of the Pacific Division leaders in front of 18,295 fans.
Charlie Coyle, Matt Dumba and Zach Parise also scored for the Wild, and Alex Stalock stopped 26 shots.
Erik Haula and Ryan Carpenter scored for the Golden Knights, who dropped to 24-9-2 at home and have lost four straight in T Mobile Arena.
Marc-Andre Fleury, who fell to 2-8-0 in 10 starts against the Wild, made 26 saves. It was the first time Fleury lost back-to-back games in regulation this season.
The Wild showed no signs of struggle without defenceman Jared Spurgeon, who leads the team in blocked shots (127) but partially tore his right hamstring against Colorado on Tuesday and is expected to miss at least four weeks. Minnesota, which had 18 blocked shots, ranks 28th with its penalty kill on the road but stopped Vegas on all three power plays.
In his homecoming, Zucker gave the Wild a 1-0 lead midway through the first period with his 29th goal of the season.
Coyle extended his point streak to five games when he backhanded a loose puck over Fleury’s stick midway through the second. Coyle has three goals and three assists in his last five games.
Moments later, Zucker fed Dumba, who lifted the puck over a sprawled-out Fleury to extend Minnesota’s lead to 3-0 with 13:24 left in the period. Eric Staal, who ranks fifth in the league with 37 goals and leads all NHL players with four versus Vegas, now has six points against the Golden Knights after assisting on Dumba’s goal.
With Jonas Brodin’s assist on Coyle’s goal and Dumba’s 11th goal of the season, Minnesota defencemen have totalled a franchise-record 173 points (36 goals, 137 assists) in 71 games this season. The Wild rank second behind Nashville for most points by blue-liners this season.
Haula and Carpenter scored late in the third to make it a one-goal game, but Parise’s empty-netter sealed the win for the Wild.
NOTES: Vegas goalie Malcolm Subban, who is 11-3-1 with a 2.59 goals-against average, was activated from injured reserve and could see his first action since Feb. 2 on Sunday vs. Calgary. … Dumba and Vegas’ Pierre-Edouard Bellemare both played in their 299th career game. … Vegas coach Gerard Gallant remains three wins away from 200 career victories. … Fleury still needs one win to move into a tie for 12th on the career list for goaltenders at 401.
UP NEXT
Wild: Visit the Arizona Coyotes on Saturday.
Golden Knights: Host the Calgary Flames on Sunday.
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