Charlie Coyle scored in the second period and Ilya Bryzgalov made 24 saves as the Minnesota Wild defeated the Winnipeg Jets 1-0 on Monday night.
Coyle’s one-timer off a pass from Zach Parise at 1:05 of the second came just after a penalty to Winnipeg defenseman Mark Stuart had expired.
The Wild closed in on a playoff berth in the Western Conference with the win. Minnesota would need to lose its final three games with Phoenix winning four straight in order for the Wild to miss the playoffs.
Bryzgalov wasn’t bothered by a taunting crowd as the trade-deadline pickup from Edmonton earned his fourth shutout of the season.
The Jets’ Michael Hutchinson, a 24-year-old rookie who began the season in the ECHL, made his first career NHL start with regular backup Al Montoya still dealing with a lower-body injury. His only blemish on 17 shots came on Coyle’s one-timer.
