Eric Staal’s short-handed goal in the third period broke a tie and helped Minnesota to a 4-2 victory over the Montreal Canadiens Thursday night, giving the Wild a ninth straight win that tied the team record.
Jordan Schroeder and Jared Spurgeon also scored for the Wild (20-8-4), who last won nine in a row March 8th through 24th, 2007. They have a chance to break the record Friday night against the Rangers in New York. Jason Zucker added an empty-net goal with 23 seconds left in the game.
Max Pacioretty and Artturi Lehkonen scored for Montreal (21-8-4), which ended a two-game winning run.
The game featured a duel between two of the NHL’s leading goalies, with Devan Dubnyk having the edge over Carey Price as the Canadiens outshot the Wild 34-27.
