Fiala, Wild defeat Coyotes for fourth win in row

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Kevin Fiala had a goal and an assist to help the Minnesota Wild to their fourth straight win, 5-2 against the Arizona Coyotes at Gila River Arena on Monday.

Kirill Kaprizov set a Wild rookie record for points in a season with 37 in 44 games, and his 18th goal tied their rookie record. Marian Gaborik scored 18 goals and 36 points in 71 games in 2000-01.
Matt Dumba and Nick Bonino each had two assists, and Cam Talbot made 22 saves for the Wild (28-13-3), who are 6-1-0 against the Coyotes this season. They will play again here Wednesday.
"Just keep building, just keep putting them together and doing the right things each and every night to have success," Minnesota coach Dean Evason said.

Christian Fischer and Alex Goligoski scored, and Darcy Kuemper made 19 saves for the Coyotes (20-21-5), who lost for the sixth time in seven games.
"We've got some guys who are struggling for us, they're really struggling, they're not scoring, and they're not defending right, and it's hurting us," Arizona coach Rick Tocchet said.
The Wild are in third place in the eight-team Honda West Division, five points behind the second-place Colorado Avalanche. The Coyotes are in fourth, 14 points behind the Wild and one point ahead of the St. Louis Blues, who have three games in hand. The top four teams qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
"We've talked about not wanting to be a team that's waiting down to the last game to get in there. … We want to be sitting comfortable going into the playoffs," Minnesota forward Marcus Foligno said. "The goal is just to pick up momentum and keep getting the wins."
The Wild went 2-for-3 on the power play against the Coyotes, whose penalty kill has allowed six goals in seven opportunities in the past three games.
"It's definitely cost us some games here, cost us some points," Goligoski said. "It seems like they get that one look and it's in the back of our net. We're giving these power plays a little bit too much respect and time and space."
Jordan Greenway scored on Foligno's pass from the right face-off circle to put the Wild ahead 2-1 at 3:37 of the second period. It was his first goal in 22 games.
Marcus Johansson scored on a power play with a backhand in front off a Dumba rebound to make it 3-1 at 9:38.
Minnesota, which was 3-for-50 on the power play (6.0 percent) in its first 13 games, has scored 15 power-play goals in the past 10 games.
"Something that's great about our team right now is the power play," Foligno said. "It's been awesome, and you're seeing it on the scoreboard. … Right now, we're clicking, and I don't think we're even at a peak yet."

Carson Soucy scored at 10:29 for the Wild, but Tocchet challenged for goaltender interference. Video review showed that Foligno impaired Kuemper prior to the puck entering the net, and the original call was overturned.
Goligoski's one-timer from the left point with Fischer screening Talbot cut it to 3-2 at 1:15 of the third.
Fiala restored Minnesota's two-goal lead with a wrist shot from the right circle to make it 4-2 at 6:20. Jonas Brodin scored an empty-net goal at 17:53 for the 5-2 final.
"It's always nice to score, but honestly the most important thing is we won," said Fiala, who was benched for half a period for committing a turnover during a 5-2 win against the San Jose Sharks on Saturday. "You never want to sit out, it's never fun, but today was a better day."
Kaprizov's power-play goal at 9:19 of the first period gave the Wild a 1-0 lead.
Fischer intercepted a cross-ice pass by Wild defenseman Ryan Suter and tied it 1-1 at 14:28. It was his first goal in 44 games dating to Feb. 19, 2020.
NOTES:Talbot is 4-0-1 in his past five starts. He is 14-6-1 in his career against the Coyotes. … Kaprizov has four goals in seven games against Arizona. … Bonino has two goals and six assists during a four-game point streak. … Fiala's assist was his 100th in 327 NHL games. … Wild forwards Mats Zuccarello and Zach Parise each had his three-game goal streak end. … Coyotes forward Tyler Pitlick (lower body) was a late scratch. Tocchet said he could be out for a few games. … Goligoski, a defenseman, has 13 points (three goals, 10 assists) in his past 14 games.