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Minnesota tops Coyotes for seventh straight win

Dec 11, 2011 - 6:05 AM Glendale, AZ (Sports Network) - Kyle Brodziak tallied twice and Niklas Backstrom made 35 saves as the Minnesota Wild won their seventh straight game, 4-1, over the Phoenix Coyotes.

Mikko Koivu and Dany Heatley also recorded goals for the Wild, who were 3-for-4 on the power play. It's the first time Minnesota has won seven straight since a nine-game run, March 8-24, 2007.

"It was a battle of specialty teams and they won it," Coyotes captain Shane Doan said.

The Wild have also won seven in a row on the road, extending a franchise record.

Lauri Korpikoski netted the lone goal for Phoenix, which has lost four of its past six games. Mike Smith made 16 saves in a losing effort.

Brodziak tallied just 2:08 into the game on the power-play to give the Wild a quick 1-0 lead. Pierre-Marc Bouchard took a slap shot from the high point and Brodziak put home the rebound.

Koivu made it 2-0, 3:07 into the second period. Jeff Taffe raced up the right wing before passing to Koivu, who one-timed it into the back of the net from the high slot.

Brodziak's second tally also came on the power play as his wraparound beat Smith midway through the second period.

On a power play midway through the third period, Jared Spurgeon took a slap shot from the left point that was redirected by Heatley and into the net for a 4-0 lead.

"I think there is a lot of belief right now that we are for real," Brodziak said. "We're just getting better every day and we're not where we want to be yet."

Korpikoski's goal with 3:57 left spoiled Backstrom's 25th career shutout.

Game Notes

Spurgeon and Bouchard each recorded two assists...Minnesota owns the top spot in the NHL with 43 points and 20 wins. It's the farthest into a season that Minnesota has owned the top spot in the league.