St. Paul, MN (SportsNetwork.com) – Nino Niederreiter recorded a hat trick as
Minnesota rode a four-goal first period to a 6-3 triumph over Buffalo at Xcel
Energy Center.
Kyle Brodziak, Ryan Carter and Jared Spurgeon also lit the lamp for the Wild,
who put a four-game losing streak to rest. Charlie Coyle and Justin Fontaine
each chipped in a pair of assists.
Darcy Kuemper was yanked 6:24 into the contest after allowing goals on the
only two shots he faced. Niklas Backstrom picked up the win in relief by makin
25 stops the rest of the way.
Rasmus Ristolainen, Zemgus Girgensons and Torrey Mitchell scored for the
Sabres, losers in five straight and eight of nine. Jhonas Enroth allowed five
goals on 38 shots in defeat.
