Wild Rise To The Occasion In Win Over Blues

ST. LOUIS, MO. -- The Minnesota Wild got a much-needed 3-1 victory against the Western Conference's second seed St. Louis Blues Saturday night.

The win follows a disappointing loss on Friday to the conference-leading Anaheim Ducks as the Wild avoided what could have been a season-altering slump while the 2014-2015 campaign enters its final stretch.

St. Louis took a 1-0 lead early in the second period before Thomas Vanek tied the game for the Wild less than a minute later.

Minnesota goalie Devan Dubnyk continued his remarkable streak of strong play -- finishing the game with 41 saves.

The Wild iced the game midway through the third period with two goals coming 17 seconds apart -- the first by Nino Niederreiter and the second by Kyle Brodziak.

With the win, the Wild improve to 38-24-7 (83 points) and currently hold the fifth seed in the Western Conference. The Wild have another tough test on Tuesday as they play the division-leading Nashville Predators.

Minnesota can ill afford to let up, however, as four teams are four points or fewer from the Wild in the standings.