Wild can't find momentum in 3-2 loss to Coyotes at raucous Mullett Arena in Arizona

TEMPE, ARIZ. - The rink wasn't conventional, and neither was the result.

In the relaunch of their season after an eight-day hiatus, the Wild were upset 3-2 by the Coyotes on Monday in front of 4,600 at Mullett Arena that the Coyotes are sharing with the Arizona State University hockey team.

"Not a good enough team effort," Mats Zuccarello said. "That's disappointing to not come out of here with anything."

This was the Wild's first loss this season against their Central Division rival after starting 2-0, while Arizona picked up only its third victory in its past 17 games vs. the Wild.

Overall, the Wild have dropped four of their past six games.

"We can't have an off day," Zuccarello said.

Jack McBain delivered the go-ahead goal with 6 minutes, 47 seconds left in the third period, capitalizing on a breakaway to cap off the Coyotes' comeback that was assisted by a pair of tying goals from Jakob Chychrun.

"They're all penalties," coach Dean Evason said. "They're avoidable, and we can't take them. We get out of our rhythm. You can't play strong defensive hockey playing four people on the ice."

Both sides were playing their first game since the All-Star break, and they were welcomed back with a raucous atmosphere that included dueling chants from the crowd that was dotted with Wild jerseys.

This was the Wild's first trip to the newly-built Mullett Arena on ASU's Tempe campus, which is the Coyotes' temporary home while they aim to build their own facility nearby in Tempe after spending nearly 20 years on the other side of Phoenix in the suburb of Glendale before the city decided not to renew its lease with the team.

Each faction of fans was given a reason to cheer in the second.

The Wild's top line finished off a marathon, two-plus minute shift with a goal, a one-timer by Kirill Kaprizov at 3:39 set up by Zuccarello after Zuccarello forced a neutral-zone turnover seconds earlier to help the Wild regain the puck and the offensive zone.

But the Wild's edge was short-lived.

After a flurry of posts by the Coyotes, they eventually converted at 9:26 on a blistering shot by Chychrun during an Arizona power play; the Coyotes finished 1-for-6, while the Wild went 0-for-4.

"It's hard to get momentum in the game, and some guys don't play and some guys play a lot," Jonas Brodin said of the workload for the Wild's penalty kill. "I think we took way too many penalties. If we play 5-on-5, it could be a different game."

That 1-1 stalemate held until the third period during another shift that punished Arizona for a turnover.

This time, Joel Eriksson Ek was the one to apply the pressure that won possession back for the Wild and after his rebound skirted along the boards, Brodin pinched and sent the puck back on net where it eluded Coyotes goaltender Karel Vejmelka at 1:40. The goal was Brodin's second of the season, while Eriksson Ek's assist was his eighth point in his past seven games; his helper was also the 99th of his NHL career.

He buried his second equalizer of the night at 9:35, another wrist shot that blew by Marc-Andre Fleury.

Then only 3:37 later, McBain, a Wild draft pick who was traded to the Coyotes last year after telling the Wild he didn't want to sign with them, skated into Wild territory and flipped in a backhander.

"I made a bad read," Zuccarello said.

Vejmelka was airtight the rest of the way, making 33 stops, while Fleury also racked up 33 in his 971st career appearance that tied Terry Sawchuk for the fourth most games in NHL history for a goaltender.

"We all know it's going to be a tight race to make the playoffs from now until the end of the season," Fleury said. "Those are points that we need to have, especially when we have the lead in the third like that.