National Hockey League
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Minnesota 4, Detroit 2
When: 7:30 PM ET, Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Where: Joe Louis Arena, Detroit, Michigan
Referees: Dave Jackson, Tom Kowal
Linesmen: Scott Cherrey, Steve Miller
Attendance: 20066


Wild 4, Red Wings 2: Devin Setoguchi scored twice and Niklas Backstrom turned aside 36 shots as Minnesota recorded its first regulation victory at Joe Louis Arena in over seven years.

Kyle Brodziak netted a power-play goal, captain Mikko Koivu also tallied and Pierre-Marc Bouchard notched a pair of assists. The Wild won their season-high fourth in a row and 11th in 15 outings to move past idle Vancouver for sole possession of first place in the Northwest Division.

Gustav Nyquist scored his second career goal on a breakaway and Drew Miller added a power-play tally for Detroit. Jimmy Howard finished with 15 saves for the Red Wings, who suffered their first regulation home loss to Minnesota since Jan. 3, 2006.

After Setoguchi extended his point streak to five games with a backhander at 2:04 of the first period, Brodziak doubled the advantage 3:51 into the second by converting defenseman Jared Spurgeon's centering feed.

Nyquist trimmed the deficit just over five minutes later, but Koivu quickly answered after his shot from the slot caromed off the glove of Howard and into the net. Setoguchi added his sixth goal in five contests by cleaning up a rebound of Dany Heatley's blast with 2:45 remaining in the session.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Minnesota posted a 3-10-0 mark in its previous 13 trips to Detroit - with two of the wins coming in overtime and the other in a shootout. ... The Red Wings appeared to forge a 1-1 tie in the first period, but the goal was quickly disallowed. Officials noted that Miller used a high stick to deflect the puck past Backstrom and into the net. ... Detroit C Pavel Datsyuk saw his four-game point streak come to an end.


Top Game Performances
 
Minnesota   Detroit
Devin Setoguchi 2 Points Drew Miller 1
Devin Setoguchi 2 Goals Drew Miller 1
Pierre-Marc Bouchard 2 Assists Cory Emmerton 1
Devin Setoguchi 1 Power Play Goals Drew Miller 1
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
Niklas Backstrom .947 Save Percentage Jimmy Howard .789
Niklas Backstrom 36 Saves Jimmy Howard 15
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Minnesota 19 4 2-3 4-5 12 33
Detroit 38 2 1-5 1-3 8 28
Upcoming Games
  • Detroit will play their next game on the road against Anaheim. The Red Wings have a W/L % of .429 after a win and .533 after a loss.
  • Minnesota will play their next game at home against San Jose. The Wild have a W/L % of .562 after a win and .583 after a loss.