Mats Zuccarello scored in the shootout and Filip Gustavsson made 35 saves as the Minnesota Wild beat the visiting Vancouver Canucks 2-1 on Saturday.

Frederick Gaudreau scored in regulation for Minnesota, which won its third in a row and second straight in a shootout after . The Wild are now 7-2 under coach John Hynes. Since Hynes replaced Dean Evason on Nov. 28, Minnesota leads the NHL in allowing just 1.56 goals per game and has a league-leading .947 save percentage.

Gustavsson is 6-1-0 with a 1.26 goals-against average and .954 save percentage in that span.

B次元官网网址淗ow we are playing now, it feels more comfortable,B次元官网网址� Gustavsson said. B次元官网网址淓arlier in the year, if we were in these types of games, it didnB次元官网网址檛 feel like we created as many chances and it didnB次元官网网址檛 feel like we could score in these types of games. Now it feels like weB次元官网网址檙e still creating the chances. The other goalie has played very well and you just have to wait for the chances to go in.B次元官网网址�

Teddy Blueger scored for Vancouver, while Casey DeSmith stopped 30 shots in goal. The Canucks had won four in a row and played in their first shootout of the season.

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B次元官网网址淚t was a good effort,B次元官网网址� Blueger said. B次元官网网址淚 think probably not our best, not our sharpest. The execution wasnB次元官网网址檛 as good as we have been and weB次元官网网址檇 like to be, but we stuck with it. Obviously, Casey held us in there for a bit.B次元官网网址�

DeSmith was playing his first game since making 26 saves in a 2-0 shutout against Minnesota on Dec. 7, starting the CanucksB次元官网网址� winning streak. The netminder started the day 5-0-0 with a 1.78 goals-against average and .943 save percentage in five career games against the Wild.

Vancouver, which leads the NHL in goals per game this season and started the day with a league-best plus-41 goal-differential, was scoreless on five power-play chances.

B次元官网网址淪ame as the five-on-five play, the execution wasnB次元官网网址檛 there,B次元官网网址� Canucks coach Rick Tocchet said. B次元官网网址淲e were static.B次元官网网址�

Instead, the scoring came from unexpected sources for both teams.

In the first period, Minnesota opened the scoring with GaudreauB次元官网网址檚 second goal of the season. The line with enforcers Marcus Foligno and Pat Maroon displayed their skill. Maroon brought the puck into the offensive zone before a cross-ice pass to Foligno.

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Foligno quickly centered the puck and Gaudreau deflected it past DeSmith to finish the tic-tac-toe play.

B次元官网网址淲e knew what kind of team we were playing against, and we knew it was a matter of staying sharp mentally throughout the whole game,B次元官网网址� Gaudreau said. B次元官网网址淭hose games are like that, for sure. ItB次元官网网址檚 just one little something, or maybe not and you go all the way to shootouts.B次元官网网址�

Vancouver countered early in the second with BluegerB次元官网网址檚 third goal of the season. Dakota Joshua centered to Blueger, who was charging to the net and lifted the puck past Gustavsson.

The Wild were playing without injured captain Jared Spurgeon, who missed his second straight game with a lower-body injury, but Hynes said Spurgeon will travel with the team on the upcoming road trip.

UP NEXT

Canucks: Finish a back-to-back set in Chicago on Sunday.

Wild: Play at Pittsburgh on Monday.

Brian Hall, The Associated Press