Sun Jan 13 21:09:18 2008

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Wild down Coyotes

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St. Paul, MN (Sports Network) - Marian Gaborik and Pavol Demitra each had a goal and an assist as the Minnesota Wild beat the Phoenix Coyotes 4-1 at Xcel Energy Center.

James Sheppard and Eric Belanger also scored for the Wild, who have won three straight. Josh Harding made 26 saves in the win for Minnesota, which entered the night tied atop the Northwest Division with Vancouver and Calgary.

"This division is probably the toughest in the league right now," said Belanger. "We know we have to keep winning. We can't have any letdowns."

Shane Doan scored for the Coyotes, who lost for just the second time in eight games. Ilya Bryzgalov made 30 stops for Phoenix, which is currently outside the Western Conference playoff picture with 47 points on the year.

"We've been playing better but we are still on the outside looking in," said Doan. "That's a tough pill to swallow when you feel like you're playing well. But we have to stay at it, keep winning and it will take care of itself."

Demitra got the Wild on the board first with a goal 10:08 into the second period. He took a pass from Pierre-Marc Bouchard in the neutral zone, down the right side and shot a wrister past Bryzgalov for a 1-0 lead.

Sheppard pushed the lead to 2-0 with a wrist shot from the right circle with 5:34 left in the second period.

Just 2:11 into the third period, Belanger gave Minnesota a 3-0 lead, beating Bryzgalov who was screened on the play.

Gaborik's one-timer with 7:57 remaining made it 4-0 Wild.

Doan ended Harding's shutout bid with a power-play goal with 5:27 left to play.

Game Notes

Minnesota is 4-0 against the Coyotes this season and has taken seven straight and nine of the last 10 contests in the series. Phoenix has also dropped five in a row in St. Paul...Minnesota forward Branko Radivojevic missed his second straight game with a stiff neck...Minnesota defenseman Sean Hill sat out with a sprained ankle...Tonight marked the end of a four-game road trip for the Coyotes, who are 16-9-0 as the visiting team this year...The Wild opened a three-game homestand and are 15-7-0 as the host club this year.