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Wild edge Coyotes for sixth straight win

Mar 21, 2007 - 3:07 AM ST. PAUL, Minnesota (Ticker) -- Some last-minute heroics established a club record for the Minnesota Wild.

Pavol Demitra and Marian Gaborik each had a goal and an assist as the Wild edged the Phoenix Coyotes, 3-2, to extend their winning streak to a franchise-record seven games.

Todd White added a power-play goal and rookie goaltender Niklas Backstrom made 29 saves for Minnesota, which jumped over Dallas and San Jose into fifth place in the Western Conference.

The Wild also moved within one point of Vancouver for the lead in the Northwest Division.

All three Minnesota goals came in the final minute of the first two periods.

Demitra set the tone when he whipped a rebound of Gaborik's shot past netminder Curtis Joseph with seven seconds left in the opening session for a 1-0 lead.

It looked like that score would hold up until White and Gaborik scored 20 seconds apart - at 19:17 and 19:37 - at the end of the second period for a 3-0 lead.

The Wild needed the cushion as Phoenix, the worst team in the Western Conference, closed to 3-2 on a pair of power-play tallies 2:41 apart by Niko Kapanen and Bill Thomas midway through the third.

The Coyotes outshot the Wild, 14-5, in the final session but could not get the equalizer past Backstrom, who posted his six consecutive victory.

Joseph stopped 23 shots for Phoenix, which tumbled to its fourth straight defeat.