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BOX SCORE
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) -- The Chicago Blackhawks had an upbeat
attitude after Sunday's 3-2 win versus the Minnesota Wild.
It was just another win against and expansion team for Chicago.
But for the Blackhawks, who have struggled early, it was a win
nonetheless.
|  | | The Blackhawks defense made sure to keep tabs on Wild rookie Marian Gaborik, right, on Sunday night. |
Michael Nylander had a goal and an assist and Jocelyn Thibault
finished with 24 saves for the Blackhawks.
The victory was the third of the season for the Blackhawks, who
have a combined 3-0 record against the expansion Wild and Columbus
Blue Jackets, but an 0-7-0-1 record against non-expansion teams.
Kris King's first goal of the season opened the scoring for
Chicago at the 4:24 mark of the first period. He later talked about
the importance of getting a win in Sunday's game.
"We were getting to the point where we were starting to doubt
ourselves, and that's a bad position to be in this early in the
year," Kings said. "We played a 60-minute game and got a really
big win, which is something this team really needed."
Minnesota's Marian Gaborik countered six minutes later when he
beat Thibault with a wrist shot. It was the fifth goal of the
season for the rookie forward.
The Blackhawks took a 2-1 lead at 12:36 of the first when Steve
Sullivan flipped a shot from behind the net that bounced off
Minnesota goalie Manny Fernandez and into the net for a power-play
goal.
Nylander's goal at 9:49 of the second period was the
game-winner. It came on the heels of a Blackhawks' penalty-kill,
which seemed to deflate the Wild and their fans.
"That's the way this game is supposed to be played," Chicago
coach Alpo Suhonen said. "One team has the momentum and if they
don't use it, the other team gets a chance to use it. There's
always a critical moment in the game when stuff like that is
happening. That was an exact example of it."
Scott Pellerin scored midway through the third to pull the Wild
within a goal. But despite being out-shot 7-0 in the period, the
Blackhawks killed a late Minnesota power play to preserve the win.
"Offensively we had some chances, but we missed the net a
little bit," Pellerin said. "We weren't as hungry around the net
to make it a tougher night for their goalie."
Fernandez had 16 saves for the Wild.
"Fernandez gave us a chance to win," Minnesota coach Jacques
Lemaire said. "He played a solid game. I felt we deserved more
than what we got because the guys never let up."
Game notes
The Blackhawks last played a regular season contest in
Minnesota on April 13, 1993, winning 3-2 in the final home game
played by the Minnesota North Stars. ... The Blackhawks have been
outscored by a 14-5 margin in the opening period of their 10 games.
... Sunday was a homecoming of sorts for three members of the
Blackhawks organization. Chicago assistant general manager Nick
Beverly, assistant coach Al McAdam and center Mark Janssens are all
former Minnesota North Stars ... Blackhawks defenseman Alexander
Karpovtsev was lost to injury barely one minute into the game when
he was hit in the leg by a slap shot by Minnesota's Maxim Susinsky.
Trainers reported that Karpovtsev suffered a bruised right ankle.
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ALSO SEE
NHL Scoreboard
Chicago Clubhouse
Minnesota Clubhouse
RECAPS
St. Louis 4
Carolina 1
NY Rangers 5
Boston 1
Washington 1
Philadelphia 1
Anaheim 6
Calgary 3
Chicago 3
Minnesota 2
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Ryan VandenBussche makes a spectacular between-the-legs pass to Kris King for Chicago's first goal.
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