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National Hockey League
Minnesota 7, Montreal 1
When: 8:00 PM ET, Thursday, January 12, 2017
Where: Xcel Energy Center, Saint Paul, Minnesota
Referees: Chris Lee, Justin St. Pierre
Linesmen: Ryan Gibbons, Brian Mach
Attendance: 19104

SAINT PAUL, Minn. -- Wild goaltender Devan Dubnyk was at one end of the ice, watching his Minnesota teammates pepper Montreal Canadiens netminder Carey Price.

Goal after goal, Minnesota was piling on Price, largely considered one of the top goaltenders in the NHL. Dubnyk, who leads the league this season in many statistical categories, was enjoying the view from behind.

Dubnyk made 20 saves and Nino Niederreiter scored twice for Minnesota in a 7-1 win against Montreal on Thursday.

"I've seen us do that to a lot of good goalies," Dubnyk said. "Especially in this building, sometimes we can be overwhelming for teams. Like I said, I would not have wanted to be at the other end. However many shots, it felt like every one was a Grade A chance, and that's not a fun game to be a part of."

The Wild, who won for the 15th time in 17 games, got a goal and two assists from Eric Staal. Christian Folin, Jordan Schroeder, Jason Zucker and Ryan Suter also scored for Minnesota (26-9-5). Matt Dumba registered three assists, and Jared Spurgeon added two assists.

"Yeah, not too often that's going to happen," Staal said of scoring seven goals on Price. "He's definitely one of the best. I think we caught him on a tough night. They had a big game last night in Winnipeg, and tonight, I thought we got stronger as the game went on. They were quick and we capitalized, and I think it really took the wind out of their sails as we went."

Dubnyk missed a chance for his league-leading sixth shutout when Montreal's Tomas Plekanec scored with 8.5 seconds left in the game.

Price allowed seven goals for the first time since March 2, 2013, against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Price, who gave up three goals when the teams met in December, made 17 saves Thursday.

"It's a tough night, we're all in this together, and we're all suffering tonight as a team," Canadiens coach Michel Therrien said. "It's pretty simple."

Minnesota scored three times in the second period, including the ninth time this season scoring multiple goals less than a minute apart, and three times in the third.

Early in the second period, Charlie Coyle corralled the puck at the boards at center ice and sent Staal in for a mini-breakaway. Staal's quick release beat Price at 6:35. Staal has eight goals and 12 assists in 14 games since Dec. 11, recording at least one point in 13 of those 14 games.

Just 39 seconds later, Schroeder managed to deflect a shot from Spurgeon while falling to the ice after being pushed by Montreal defenseman Zach Redmond.

"I think that was the backbreaker," Price said. "It's tough to climb back from a 3-zip game against a team like that. They played very well structurally, and you gotta tip your hat to them."

Fourteen different players tallied a point for Minnesota, which tied a franchise record with its second seven-goal game this season.

"Last few years we haven't been able to put up the numbers like this, so it's good to have that element now and hopefully we can keep that up," Suter said.

Suter added about the team's depth: "That's been our thing all year. When we're winning, we're playing everybody, goalie's playing good and everyone's contributing. It's good for everyone's confidence, too, to chip in and help."

NOTES: Montreal scratched LW Nikita Scherbak, RW Bobby Farnham and D Ryan Johnston. Scherback and Farnham were assigned to AHL St. John's after the game. The team is still without C Alex Galchenyuk (knee), C Andrew Shaw (concussion) and D Andrei Markov (lower body), but the Montreal Gazette reported the three are hopeful to return Saturday against the Rangers. ... Minnesota scratched D Nate Prosser and F Kurtis Gabriel. ... Minnesota entered play fourth in the league in scoring at 3.13 goals per game, and the Canadiens were fifth at 3.12. The Wild were second in fewest goals allowed (2.13 per game), and Montreal was fifth (2.38). .... The Canadiens return home for a game Saturday against the New York Rangers before going back on the road. Minnesota heads back on the road for a Saturday matchup against the Dallas Stars.
Top Game Performances
 
Montreal   Minnesota
Tomas Plekanec 1 Points Eric Staal 3
Tomas Plekanec 1 Goals Nino Niederreiter 2
Sven Andrighetto 1 Assists Matt Dumba 3
Tomas Plekanec 1 Power Play Goals Ryan Suter 1
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
Carey Price .708 Save Percentage Devan Dubnyk .952
Carey Price 17 Saves Devan Dubnyk 20
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Montreal 21 1 1-1 2-4 10 24
Minnesota 24 7 2-4 0-1 4 29
Upcoming Games
  • Minnesota will play their next game on the road against Dallas. The Wild have a W/L % of .654 after a win and .643 after a loss.
  • Montreal will play their next game at home against NY Rangers. The Canadiens have a W/L % of .593 after a win and .625 after a loss.