Wild overcomes 3-1 deficit, but loses to Detroit

From the comfort of his couch, Brent Burns has watched the Wild rally over and over again.

Fourteen times the team has come from behind to win -- four times when trailing by two or more goals. In the previous two games, the Wild nearly rallied from four-goal deficits.

So in Burns' first game in two months Thursday night, it was only natural that he would be part of another Wild comeback.

Almost.

The Wild thrillingly forced overtime by rallying from two goals down late in the third period, but the team couldn't strangle that second point during an eight-round shootout and 4-3 Detroit Red Wings victory at Xcel Energy Center.

Drew Miller scored the shootout winner after Martin Havlat and Andrew Brunette scored a minute apart to tie the score at 3-3 with 5:12 left in the third period.

"It's not like some other years when you really felt the drag [being down]," Burns said. "Even down by two or three, we still feel we can come back. That's a positive thing. We just don't want to be doing it a lot."

The Wild was outshot 11-3. In the past four first periods, the Wild has no goals and 16 shots. It has surrendered the first goal in 24 of the past 32 games.

"If we would know how to stop it, we wouldn't do it every night," Havlat said. "We are talking about it. We're trying to get ready for the game. ... It's amazing we always almost come back, but you can't play hockey like that."

Josh Harding got his first home start in almost a year, but he injured a hip on Patrick Eaves' rebound attempt following a Darren Helm breakaway early in the first. Harding played the rest of the period before being pulled for Niklas Backstrom to start the second.

Robbie Earl, who was free for 29 teams to take off waivers Wednesday, tied the score 1-1 in the second when Shane Hnidy's shot hit post, then glass, then Earl's chest.

But early in the third, Eaves was left alone in front for the go-ahead goal, then Miller redirected Derek Meech's knuckler. Burns thought 30 seconds before Eaves' goal he touched up to avoid an icing, but linesman Brian Mach ruled Kris Draper got to the puck first.

But the Wild, without a shot the first 12 minutes of the third, rallied. Kyle Brodziak's shot while falling to the ice deflected off Henrik Zetterberg, then Havlat's skate for Havlat's ninth goal. A minute later, Brunette gloved down the puck and fired a shot past Detroit goalie Jimmy Howard for his first goal since Jan. 2.

The Wild took eight shots in overtime but couldn't beat Howard again.

"Even though we gave up the two-goal lead, it's not like they tilted the rink," Red Wings coach Mike Babcock said.

Backstrom, who stopped 16 of 18 shots and five of eight in the shootout, said the Wild can't be content with one point. The season's getting shorter and the Wild, in his eyes, has reverted defensively.