Postgame: 2 home games, 2 shutouts; Granlund contract update

The Wild wasn't overly great tonight, but it still felt like a pretty simple 2-0 win over the Arizona Coyotes.

Darcy Kuemper, who has allowed two goals this season, recorded his league-leading and career-high third shutout of the season in only four starts. He made 26 saves for a Wild team that has allowed a league-low 22.8 shots per game and has registered 36 shots per game (second-most).

Charlie Coyle, one day after signing a five-year extension, scored his fifth career game-winning goal and Jason Pominville, in the first year of a new five-year deal, scored less than three minutes later.

Jared Spurgeon had two assists, was plus-2 and blocked five shots. Named first star after being the Star Tribune centerpiece today.

Evening from the Xcel Energy Center press box.

Before I get started, give my Friday game notebook a read, but I talked to Mikael Granlund's agent, Todd Diamond, today and he confirmed what I have been writing all week.

The eventual Granlund extension "is not going to be as long as Coyle and Brodin, that's for sure."

"We feel a shorter term works in favor of both sides in a completely respectful manner," Diamond told me. "Now we're just trying to plug in the right numbers that satisfy both sides. Right now we're both searching for the right answer. Eventually we'll get there.

"I can't tell you if it's going to be Monday or one week or one month or six months, but eventually we will get there."

Diamond also said fans shouldn't freak if this does drag on. This will not become a nasty Ryan Johansen situation.

"The only deadline would be next training camp, but Mikael is not the type of person that would want to use that as leverage at all," Diamond said. "That position would be uncomfortable and painful for him and wouldn't really serve any purpose, so we obviously intend and hope to have it done well before then."

As for the game tonight, coach Mike Yeo felt the Wild's game was just a little off and it's something he expected after yet another long layoff. He thinks the cure will be getting into a schedule will the Wild starts playing a lot, and tonight was the first game in a stretch of six games in nine nights.

It's not in the game notes, so I can't find the stat, but the Coyotes have a ridiculous record when scoring first in the Dave Tippett era. So Yeo knew the first goal would be cool and Coyle too felt it calmed the team down.

Pominville soon made it 2-0 and the Wild took over until the power play killed momentum, going 0 for 3 in the second to bring its seasonlong drought to 0 for 19 in the first five games.

Yeo said it's up to him to fix things, that the players are frustrated and it shows after the first or second scoreless power play. The personnel is there. The Wild's getting chances and leads the NHL in power-play shots. But Yeo said it's up to him to figure things out and once the team does, it'll be a dangerous team.

The Nino Niederreiter-Erik Haula-Justin Fontaine line was real good in the second and third periods tonight and the first line created chances. The second line, Coyle did his job with the net-front presence Yeo so wants for that line, but again Mikko Koivu and Thomas Vanek didn't create much beyond the Vanek to Spurgeon to Coyle goal.

There certainly were a good amount of Vanek turnovers and plays that died on each of their sticks.

Matt Dumba was scary at times tonight, but the Wild survived. To be fair, there were turnovers from a lot of guys tonight, including vets like Vanek and Pominville.

Spurgeon, very good tonight. Same with partner Marco Scandella. I liked Matt Cooke's game and other than one bad, bad, bad turnover by Ryan Carter, he was solid on the penalty kill. Same with Haula and Jason Zucker.