Zuccarello scores twice as the Wild downs the Coyotes
Mats Zuccarello scored twice and Nick Bonino had a goal and two assists on Wednesday to lead the Minnesota Wild past the Arizona Coyotes 5-2.
It was the Wild’s first game since the death on Sunday of 20-yearold Daunte Wright, a Black man fatally shot by police during a traffic stop in a Minneapolis suburb.
Minnesota’s originally scheduled game on Monday against St. Louis was postponed until May 12. And Wednesday’s game was moved to 1 p.m. local time in anticipation of potential curfews. The team held a moment of silence for Wright before the game.
Both of Zuccarello’s goals came on Minnesota’s resurgent power play, which converted all three of its opportunities in the game. After spending much of the season with the league’s worst power play, the Wild has scored 12 times with the man advantage in their past seven games.
“I think with the skill we have here on this team, we’re better than a lowerin-the-league power play,” said Bonino, whose power-play goal in the second period put Minnesota ahead 3-1. “For it to get clicking now when the playoffs come around and you’re not getting as many chances, you’ve got to be dialed in and ready to score.”
Zach Parise and Jared Spurgeon also scored and Cam Talbot made 28 saves for Minnesota, which beat Arizona for the fifth time in six games this season and solidified its hold on third place in the West Division.
Jakob Chychrun and
Phil Kessel scored for the Coyotes.
ELSEWHERE
Sabres: Buffalo captain
● Jack Eichel won’t play the rest of the season because of a neck injury. The team said that Eichel has a herniated disk and is expected to be healthy for the start of next season. The 24-year-old center hasn’t played since March 7.
“He [was] playing through it,” interim coach Don Granato said after practice. “It’s not something you want exposed, obviously, because it’s such a competitive environment, so that’s information you don’t want the opponents to have, obviously, for his safety. It’s a bummer.”
Eichel had 18 points in 21 games before coming out of Buffalo’s lineup. The 2015 No. 2 pick and face of the beleaguered franchise is three seasons into an eight-year, $80 million contract that runs until 2026.
Stars: High-scoring
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Dallas forward Alexander Radulov will not return this season because he needs surgery to repair a core muscle injury. Goaltender Ben Bishop won’t play at all.
General manager Jim Nill said that Radulov is expected to be fully recovered for the 2021-22 season.
Radulov, primarily on the top line with Jamie Benn and Joe Pavelski when he did play, was limited to only 11 games this season because of a lower-body injury.
Capitals: Forward
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Conor Sheary re-signed with Washington for two years and $3 million. Sheary, 28, is fourth on the Capitals with 11 goals this season, including 10 in five-on-five play. He also has eight assists in 40 games this season.