Cam Talbot had an excellent night between the pipes, making 31 saves in a losing cause.
Talbot was easily the best Flame in the game's early going, especially, turning aside all 10 shots he faced in the opening frame, including a ridiculous, point-blank stop off Luke Kunin near the midway mark.
With Nico Sturm forcing a turnover on the forecheck, Jordan Greenway gathered up the loose puck and centered a pass to Kunin between the hash marks. Talbot, though, sprang to his feet, dug in at the top of the blue paint and rejected the forward's five-home attempt with a strong stick save.
The Flames had the only powerplay of the period, but after going 3-for-5 in Sunday's win over the Dallas Stars, the PP struggled to gain traction and failed to generate a scoring chance.
The Wild opened the scoring at 4:51 of the second period, as the Flames got caught chasing the puck carrier, leaving a man uncovered in the slot. Ryan Donato made a slick centering feed, and the recipient - Joel Eriksson Ek - made no mistake on the one-timer, slamming it past Talbot.
The homeside opened up a two-goal edge at 9:49, as Kunin got his revenge and buried his ninth of the season to cap a nifty bit of puck movement by Minnesota's third line.
Again, it was Greenway and Sturm that made the whole thing possible with a beastly burst on the forecheck. Eventually, after working a clinical, left-to-right give-and-go, the former delivered a pass from below the goal line, allowing Kunin to step into the one-timer and beat Talbot - who had no chance on the play - clean on the far side.
The Flames thought they made it a one-goal game with 6:01 to play as Derek Ryan shoveled the puck home on a goalmouth scramble, but the play was reviewed and after a quick look-see, it was determined that Ryan kicked the puck into the net.
The Flames orchestrated a solid, third-period push, but it wasn't to be.
Eric Staal bounced one into the empty net with 2:43 to play to seal the outcome.
