Game 4 recap

Star Tribune's three stars

1. Jared Spurgeon, Wild: Spurgeon earned a second assist on Nino Niederreiter's game-winner, but it was his goal on a third period power play that gave the Wild a 4-2 edge and all the momentum.

2. Matt Cooke, Wild: In his return from a seven-game suspension, Cooke was everywhere for the Wild, registering one assist, five hits and three blocked shots.

3. Marian Hossa, Blackhawks: The Chicago winger assisted on both Blackhawks goals and was their most dynamic forward on both ends of the ice.

Turning point

Niederreiter scored the game-winning goal 44 seconds after Chicago's Michal Handzus knotted things at two apiece in the second period. The Blackhawks were never able to recover.

NOTABLE QUOTES

"This isn't anything we didn't expect. Minnesota's a great team. We know that. They threw a lot of speed at us, kept us from the net." — Chicago winger Patrick Sharp.

"We've got to bring that confidence on the road. We have to play a full 60 on the road." — Wild winger Charlie Coyle.

By the numbers

1 Point for Wild center Mikko Koivu in nine playoff games against the Blackhawks in the past two seasons.

22 Chicago has been held to 22 or fewer shots eight times in its past 85 playoff games. Four of those have been in this series.

5-0 Record for the Wild at home this postseason.

2 Losses for the Blackhawks in Games 4-7 during their past five playoff series.

14 Points for Wild winger Zach Parise this postseason, second-best in the NHL.

16-5 Aggregate score for the Wild at home in the playoffs.

39 Shifts for Wild defenseman Ryan Suter in Game 4.

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