ST. PAUL Karl Alzner Jersey Womens , Minn. (AP) — Minnesota needs more production from over the second half of the schedule to return to the playoffs, a responsibility that’s not lost on him or anyone else on the Wild.After a morning meeting of reassurance from coach Bruce Boudreau, lo and behold, Zucker responded with two goals.Zucker gave the lagging power play a lift with his first score and added another just after leaving the penalty box, both in the second period, and the Wild hung on to beat the Winnipeg Jets 3-2 on Thursday night.“I hate watching you come off the ice looking so down all the time,” Boudreau told Zucker in their conversation. “So it’s time you had a chance to have some fun.”Zucker, who was second on the Wild last season with a career-high 33 goals, scored only once over his previous 14 games.“I’ve got to do it consistently now. I can’t be happy with just one game and a couple goals and shut it back down,” said Zucker Joel Armia Jersey Womens , who’s tied with Mikael Granlund for third on the team with 12 goals.Jordan Greenway also scored and Devan Dubnyk made 26 saves for the Wild, who have won all three games against the Jets so far this season by a combined 10-5 score after losing to their Central Division rival in five games in the first round of the playoffs last spring.“There’s certainly a good possibility of matching up come playoff time if we get there,” Dubnyk said, “and as much as the regular season doesn’t matter, well, we need these points right now, and it’s always good to have a winning feeling in both arenas.”The Wild blocked 22 shots and won 36 of 55 faceoffs.“Guys are playing well now,” Greenway said, “and not cheating for offense.”Brandon Tanev gave the Jets some life with his goal in the final minute of the second period, cutting the lead to 3-1. Then Torey Krug Jersey , with Connor Hellebuyck having already vacated the net, Mark Scheifele scored with 2:38 remaining in the game to bring the Jets within one. The Wild went without a shot on goal in the third, the first time in franchise history that happened to them at home in any period.“You allow them to take the lead, it just plays right into their game,” Jets captain Blake Wheeler said.The Jets managed just one shot on goal over the first 15-plus minutes of the game, and the Wild actually had a lead to match the effort after Eric Staal fed Greenway from behind the net . This was only the 15th time in 43 games the Wild have scored first. They’re 9-5-1 in those instances.The Wild had only one power-play goal in their previous 23 opportunities, all without defenseman Matt Dumba, who’s still second among NHL blue-liners this season with 12 goals and ruptured the pectoralis muscle near his right shoulder on Dec. 15.Midway through the second period, with a man advantage for the Wild, a turnover led to a short-handed breakaway for the Jets and a snap shot by Adam Lowry that caromed off the left post. The Wild quickly regrouped after the fortunate bounce and went back the other way for Zucker’s score in the waning seconds of Kyle Connor’s tripping penalty.A few minutes later Womens Tuukka Rask Jersey , as he hustled back and forth at the point of the penalty kill and fearlessly blocked shots with his body, Zach Parise snagged the puck at the end of a Jets power play and flipped a lob pass up the ice for a wide-open Zucker who managed to stay onside after he returned to the ice from his hooking penalty. Zucker beat Hellebuyck in the upper-left corner at the end of the breakaway for a 3-0 lead.“We got to our game in the third period and made things a lot difficult for them in their own zone and challenging pucks to the net,” Tanev said. “I think we need to get to that game right away.”NOTESThe Wild won at home for the first time in five tries since Dec. 13. … The Jets were scoreless in four power plays. The Wild have killed 15 of their last 16 penalties at home. … Scheifele tied Patrik Laine for the team lead with his 24th goal. … Wild center Eric Fehr missed his second straight game with an undisclosed injury. … Wild defenseman Spurgeon had two assists, his third multi-point performance in five games this month. … Jets defenseman Tyler Myers left in the third period with an undisclosed injury.UP NEXTJets: Return home to face the Detroit Red Wings on Friday night.Wild: Host the Red Wings on Saturday night. CALGARY, Alberta — Intense rivalries often bring out the best in athletes.That’s what fans will be hoping for when the Calgary Flames (10-8-1) host the first installment of the Battle of Alberta against the Edmonton Oilers (9-8-1) at the Scotiabank Saddledome on Saturday night.“Obviously it’s exciting playing against those guys,” said Flames forward Johnny Gaudreau. “It’s a good tradition playing against those guys. They get excited for those games and so do we. It’s going to be a lot of fun and we’re really looking forward to it.”Article continues below ...Gaudreau will be looking to snap out of a personal four-game scoreless streak, while also helping the Flames rebound from their second straight setback, a 3-2 loss to the visiting Montreal Canadiens on Thursday night.“I think our line has had a lot of good chances here in the past two, three games, and they’re just not dropping in right now for us Zdeno Chara Jersey ,” said Gaudreau, who is tied with linemates Sean Monahan and Elias Lindholm at 19 points for second in scoring on the Flames (behind Matthew Tkachuk’s 21 points). “We’ve got to roll with the punches here and they’ll start coming.”While the Flames lost to Montreal on Thursday, the Oilers skated to a convincing 6-2 win over the Canadiens two nights earlier in Edmonton.Now, after a short rest and a couple days of practice, the Oilers are ready for their first game against a Pacific Division foe this season.“The Battle of Alberta definitely gets you wound up and gets you going,” said Oilers coach Todd McLellan. “Any time you play a rival — it doesn’t matter if it’s Alberta or in Ontario or in another league or another sport — the fans get excited about it and the players get excited about it. Both teams are improving and pushing for a playoff spot.“I know it’s very early in the year, but these games become vitally important as they add up throughout the season. Our group will be excited about going there.”Since the Oilers also play at home on Sunday against the Vegas Golden Knights (8-10-1), McLellan has opted to start backup goalie Mikko Koskinen against the Flames before bouncing right back with netminder Cam Talbot the next night.“Two games, we’re at home and we’re on the road,” McLellan said. “One team went to the Stanley Cup Finals last year and the other team is a rival. We just decided that we would play Mikko on the road to experience the rivalry and Talbs at home in the back-to-back.”Although Flames bench boss Bill Peters announced on Friday that goaltender David Rittich will get the start against the Oilers Xavier Ouellet Jersey Womens , he added that he won’t be afraid to go back to Mike Smith, who let in the game-winning goal through his legs in the third period on Thursday to Montreal forward Artturi Lehkonen.“We’re going to keep putting him in there when the time is right and away you go,” said Peters of Smith. “He’ll get another chance and when you get the chance, seize the opportunity.”Rittich made 21 saves for his first NHL shutout against the Kings in Los Angeles in his last start last Saturday.“I feel good, but it’s another game and you have to be prepared for it,” said Rittich, who has a 5-1-0 record to go with a 1.91 goals-against average and a .935 save percentage. “What happened last game, it happened. Everyone in our locker room has to be prepared for another game. It’s going to be a great atmosphere here and we want to win.”In a one-for-one deal that was announced on Friday, the Oilers acquired Ryan Spooner from the New York Rangers in exchange for fellow forward Ryan Strome.