Minnesota
Nick Bjugstad has hat trick against hometown team, Coyotes rout Wild 6-0
MINNEAPOLIS — Nick Bjugstad had his second career hat trick, Connor Ingram made 38 saves for his fifth shutout of the season and the Arizona Coyotes routed the Minnesota Wild 6-0 on Saturday night.
Bjugstad, the Minneapolis native who starred at the University of Minnesota, snapped a 16-game goal drought. He had two goals in the first period and completed the hat trick in the second with his ninth goal of the season.
“It felt good, but it had been a while since I’d scored, so that first one felt really good,” Bjugstad said. “Sometimes it just goes in for you. This was one of those nights. I’m grateful for my linemates. We had good sustained offensive-zone time, and usually if you’re getting shots, you’ll get chances to score.”
Clayton Keller had two goals and an assist, and Alexander Kerfoot also scored for Arizona. Keller has goals in three straight games and has 19 points in 24 career games against the Wild. The Coyotes had lost four of five, all at home.
Forward Kirill Kaprizov and goalie Filip Gustavsson returned from injuries for Minnesota, but the Wild lost for the eighth time in nine games. They have been outscored 21-5 in losing four straight.
As a result, the players held a lengthy closed-door meeting before letting in reporters after the game.
“It’s embarrassing to lose like that at home,” forward Mats Zuccarello said. “I think everyone, every single guy in here feels the same way. It’s just not good enough. Giving too easy (of) goals. We battled hard, we create chances, but it’s too easy for them to score. We’re not playing near good enough.”
Kaprizov, the team’s scoring leader with 34 points, missed seven games because of an upper-body injury and Gustavsson, the top netminder, missed seven games with a lower-body injury.
Gustavsson struggled in his return as did a defense still missing its top two defensemen in Jared Spurgeon and Jonas Brodin. Gustavsson allowed five goals on 18 shots before being pulled midway through the second period for Marc-Andre Fleury. Fleury stopped 14 of 15 shots faced.
“For my part, of course the timing’s a little off, the game is way quicker than in practice, and getting that timing right is hard,” Gustavsson said. “I tried my best; I wasn’t good enough today. That’s what happens.”
The Wild surged with 11 wins in 14 games after John Hynes replaced Dean Evason as head coach, but are 1-7-1 in their last nine games, while injuries have played a part.
On the first game of a three-game trip, Arizona jumped on Minnesota quickly. Kerfoot scored five minutes in and the Coyotes scored three times in the first period. Two of the goals were on the power play.
“I think that’s the urgency we had,” Arizona coach Andre Tourigny said. “I think the boys had the right mindset. That was a really good start. After the first period, I think we played the right way. We had urgency defensively. We’re stingy defensively. I think we played a solid three periods.”
Arizona was 2 of 3 on the power play. Minnesota’s penalty kill entered the day 30th in the NHL and 32nd at home.
UP NEXT
Coyotes: At Calgary on Tuesday night.
Wild: Host the New York Islanders on Monday night.
Minnesota
Minnesota Democratic Party Chair Ken Martin launches a bid to lead the DNC
Minnesota Democratic Party Chair Ken Martin has formally announced his bid to lead the Democratic National Committee, as the party attempts to piece itself together following a stinging defeat against Donald Trump.
“If you’re looking for a creature of D.C., that’s not me. But I do know how the DNC works and how it isn’t working,” Martin said in a video posted to social media Tuesday morning, adding, “We need to reconnect our ideas — which we know are popular in red, blue and purple states across this country — back to our party and to our candidates.”
Martin, a DNC vice chair and leader of the Association of State Democratic Committees, has gained early traction with some delegates, according to interviews with several state DNC members. He joins Martin O’Malley, former presidential candidate who announced Monday he would run for the post.
Martin is a big backer of the DNC acting as an umbrella organization that strengthens state parties across the board.
“That’s certainly not the only thing that the DNC does, but it’s one of probably the most important partnerships that the DNC has is with its state party chairs, vice chairs, executive directors, who are on the ground running these programs,” Martin said in an interview last week. He calls it the 57-state strategy, including all 50 states and territories, as well as Washington, D.C., and Democrats abroad. “Whoever the next DNC chair is really has to, I believe, have a fierce commitment to making sure that they support the 57-state party strategy itself.”
Nebraska Democratic Party Chair Jane Kleeb is among those backing Martin, saying in an earlier interview that she was interested in seeking the ASDC chair post that Martin now holds.
Wisconsin Democratic Party Chair Ben Wikler is also interested in a run.
“Ben is seriously considering a run,” a person with knowledge of Wikler’s thinking told NBC News on Monday.
Also, Rahm Emanuel — who is serving as the U.S. ambassador to Japan and was previously the mayor of Chicago, a congressman and chief of staff to President Barack Obama — has floated interest in the role, according to three people, and has done some outreach to DNC members, according to one person familiar with the matter.
Minnesota
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