NEWARK, N.J. — Former Devil Zach Parise scored the go-ahead goal, and the Minnesota Wild snapped a four-game losing streak and gave coach Bruce Boudreau something to smile about in his 900th NHL game with a 4-2 victory over New Jersey on Saturday.
The third line of Marcus Foligno, Joel Eriksson Ek and Luke Kunin all scored for the Wild, who are clinging to a wild-card playoff spot in the Western Conference. Devan Dubnyk made 16 saves in winning for the first time in four starts.
Brett Seney and Jesper Bratt scored for the Devils, who have lost the first three on a four-game homestand. Cory Schneider made 29 saves in his second straight start since an almost two-month stint on injured reserve with an abdominal issue.
Parise, who signed with Minnesota as a free agent in 2012 after spending his first seven seasons in New Jersey, gave the Wild a 2-1 lead at 4:34 of the second period, tipping a power-play shot by Ryan Suter past Schneider.
Zach Parise, Minnesota Wild, January 14, 2019 (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)
Eriksson Ek, who was recalled from Iowa (AHL) on Wednesday after Mikko Koivu suffered a season-ending knee injury, pushed the lead to 3-1 with 4:53 left in the second period with his second goal in as many games. Schneider made a save on a shot from the point by defenceman Jonas Brodin, but the rebound went right to Eriksson Ek for a shot into an open net.
Bratt got the Devils within a goal early in the third period with a backhander in close, but Kunin, a 2015 first-round pick who started the season in Iowa, beat Schneider from the left circle for his second goal of the season.
Seney gave New Jersey an early lead with a blast past Dubnyk, but Foligno tied the game at 12:19 of the first period with a backhander into an open net. Schneider was defenceless on the play after losing his stick in a goal-mouth scramble.
NOTES: Boudreau is now 530-266-104 in his career with Washington, Anaheim and the Wild. … John Hynes of the Devils coached his 300th game. … New Jersey placed F Miles Wood (upper body) on injured reserve, activated F Joey Anderson (broken ankle) off IR and recalled F Nick Lappin and D Ryan Murphy from Binghamton (AHL). Lappin and Murphy were scratched. … Wild D Greg Pateryn got the primary assist on Foligno’s goal. He has two assists in the last three games, and three overall in 54.
UP NEXT
Wild: Cross the Hudson River to play the New York Islanders on Sunday.
Devils: Finish their four-game homestand on Sunday against Carolina.
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Tom Canavan, The Associated Press