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Klesla scores again to lift Blue Jackets past Wild

Jan 28, 2007 - 4:45 AM COLUMBUS, Ohio (Ticker) -- Rostislav Klesla and the Columbus Blue Jackets have emerged from the All-Star break with some momentum.

Klesla scored for the second straight game as the Blue Jackets continued to play well with a 3-2 victory over the Minnesota Wild.

After wallowing in last place in the Central Division for much of the season, the Blue Jackets found their way out of the cellar with Friday's 3-2 victory over Eastern Conference-leading Buffalo.

Klesla, who scored Friday, found the back of the net in consecutive games for the first time this season with his eighth tally at 8:29 of the opening period while the Blue Jackets were on the power play.

"It is just happening to go in," Klesla said. "I like to shoot and have shots every game but it just seems to be going in and I am getting a little bit lucky too."

Just 56 seconds later, Dan Fritsche scored with the man advantage, giving the Blue Jackets a 2-0 advantage. At 9:16 of the second period, Klesla set up Anson Carter's 11th goal of the season.

"These games after the All-Star Break are huge. Now it's a sprint to the finish line," Carter said. "Even though we are still a few games out, we're still in a pretty good position with all of these home games besides this road trip we have coming up, so we have to take advantage."

The offense proved enough for the Blue Jackets, who survived the loss of starting goaltender Fredrik Norrena to a lower body injury with 3:50 left in the second period.

Columbus also was able to win despite being badly outplayed over the final two periods, when it was outshot by a lopsided 29-6. The Wild held a 37-22 advantage in shots overall.

"We got the lead and then hung on," Blue Jackets coach Ken Hitchcock said. "Both teams knew the significance of the two points I tell you that."

Brian Rolston scored a power-play goal in the second period and Pascal Dupuis tallied with 8:31 left in the third for the Wild, who had a four-game road winning streak stopped.

"We weren't ready to compete at the start of the game, simple as that," Wild center Wes Walz said. "They were ready, they were very ready. That happens, sometimes when you come into another teams building they are all over you. We just have to learn to weather the storm and you can't keep up that pace for three periods.

"We gave up two power-play goals and that kind of put us behind the eight ball and we tried to climb back in the game the rest of the game."

Norrena was injured on Rolston's 25th tally late in the second period.

Ty Conklin replaced Norrena and stopped 15 of 16 shots.

"When a guy gets hurt, its kind of like 'boom', and all of a sudden you're in there," Conklin said. "I don't know what's easier, not having the anxiousness build up when the goals are being scored or kind of the shock of going in right away."