A certain radio host who may also be a popular play-by-play guy in town for a team that wears purple asked me the other morning if the New Jersey Devils game was "loser proof."
Nothing's loser proof in the NHL, especially when you're still a team with Taylor Hall, Adam Henrique, Travis Zajac, Kyle Palmieri and Cory Schneider. That Wild showed that on Tuesday.
But, if there ever was a game that should have been loser proof, it was Thursday's against Arizona. The Coyotes are young, lack a lot of starpower, are near the bottom of the conference and most of all played the night before, were finishing a stretch of five games in seven nights, were using their backup goalie, were without a couple key cogs and had lost 12 of 14 starting with their last visit to St. Paul.
Well, the Wild almost lost.
But the best team in the Western Conference didn't, proving two points is two points after a 4-3 victory to extend its point streak against the West to 14 games (12-0-2) and avoid only its second two-game regulation losing streak of the season.
Nino Niederreiter's second power-play goal of the game – beautiful slot redirection of Mikael Granlund's setup -- with 7:06 left was the winner. He now has 14 goals and five in his past five games. Remember how long it took for Niederreiter to became a power-play mainstay with Minnesota? Now he already has six power-play goals this season.
He also assisted on Eric Staal's game-opening goal for a three-point night. Jason Pominville posted his eighth career three-assist game. He has helpers on both of Niederreiter's power-play goals and sprung Chris Stewart for a breakaway goal and short-lived two-goal lead late in the second.
Heck of a job by Pominville tonight. He moved to the power-play point in place of injured Jonas Brodin and did such a good job, Mike Reilly likely won't see power-play time initially whenever he draws into the lineup.