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Gaborik, Backstrom star as help Wild blank Coyotes

Feb 4, 2007 - 6:24 AM GLENDALE, Arizona (Ticker) -- Without Marian Gaborik in the lineup, the Minnesota Wild are mediocre. With him, they are an entirely different team.

Gaborik scored the game's only goal and Niklas Backstrom posted his second career shutout as the Wild posted a 1-0 victory over the Phoenix Coyotes.

Pavol Demitra set up the lone tally for Minnesota, which recorded its third straight road win and eighth of 11 overall.

Just 12 seconds into the second period, Gaborik jostled away the puck from Coyotes All-Star defenseman Ed Jovanovski at the Wild's blue line. Demitra grabbed it and fed his fellow Slovakian, who carried down the right wing before blasting a shot between the pads of goaltender Curtis Joseph for his 14th goal of the season and third in two games.

"When I got the puck past Jovo, I got the 2-on-1 and just decided to shoot, and it went in," Gaborik said.

Gaborik, who rejoined the lineup on January 6 after missing 34 games with a groin injury, has 10 goals and four assists since returning to good health. The Wild, who currently hold the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference, improved to 14-4-2 with Gaborik on the ice.

In his first NHL season, Backstrom made 10 saves in the first period, eight in the second and 11 in the third en route to the shutout.

"You need that little bounce to your side to get a shutout," Backstrom said. "Today, the bounces were on our side."

"In the third period, he saved the win for us," Wild coach Jacques Lemaire added. "They had good chances to score and he was right there. When you don't have your No. 1 goalie, somebody's got to step up."

The 28-year-old Finn also blanked Phoenix on November 24.

"I had good help from the guys tonight," Backstrom said. "Today was a different game than the shutout was a couple of months ago."

Joseph also stopped 29 shots for Phoenix, which fell 12 points behind Minnesota in the conference standings.

"I think our power play would have loved to win the game for us in the third, but Minnesota was very stingy on defense," Joseph said.

"This game was tough for us," Coyotes captain Shane Doan said. "We needed that win."

The Wild have won four of their last five meetings with the Coyotes.