Beleskey scores tiebreaking goal midway through 3rd period to give Ducks 5-4 win over Wild

ST. PAUL, Minn. - Matt Beleskey scored the tiebreaking goal midway through the third period to give the Anaheim Ducks a 5-4 victory over the Minnesota Wild on Friday night.

Ryan Kesler had two goals, and Jakob Silfverberg and Tim Jackman also scored for the Ducks, who rallied after giving up a 3-0 lead and trailing 4-3 early in the third period.

Mikko Koivu, Zach Parise, Jonas Brodin and Justin Fontaine scored for the Wild.

Fontaine gave Minnesota its first lead of the game at 2:07 of the third with his second goal of the season, but Jackman tied it 90 seconds later.

Beleskey regained the lead for the Ducks at 8:28 with his 13th of the season.

Anaheim lost forward Corey Perry midway through the first a hit from Minnesota defenceman Keith Ballard. Perry had to be helped off the ice by a trainer and couldn't put weight on his left leg.

Ballard dipped low to check Perry near the boards, flipping the Ducks' leading goal scorer in the air before he landed hard on the ice. No penalty was called, but Ballard and Nate Thompson fought two minutes later.

Kesler and Silfverberg scored in the first period and then Kesler got his second of the game at 2:28 of the second to put the Ducks up 3-0.

Minnesota's 29th-ranked power play then responded.

Koivu and Parise scored with the man advantage 11 seconds apart to make it 3-2 at 5:10 of the second. And with 2:11 left in the period second, Brodin flicked the puck toward the net and in to tie the score.

Seconds earlier, Kesler's shot from the point bounced over goalie Darcy Kuemper and was heading in before Nate Prosser covered it and knocked it out. The no-goal ruling stood after a replay review.

Kuemper, who gave up five goals on 18 shots, was replaced by Niklas Backstrom after Beleskey's score. Kuemper has allowed at least four goals in three of his last four starts.

Ryan Suter, Minnesota's top defencemen, skated in the morning but missed his second straight game with the mumps. Suter is the fifth Wild defender to miss time with the mumps this season.

Three Ducks' players also have gotten the mumps this season.

NOTES: Jared Spurgeon and Prosser are the only two Wild defenders who haven't gotten the mumps. ... Anaheim D Mark Fistric returned from back and facial injuries to play in his first game since Oct. 30. ... According to Elias, the goals by Koivu and Parise were the fastest two power-play goals since Ottawa scored 8 seconds apart in Toronto on Oct. 8, 2011.