Zidlicky's Stick Lifts Wild Past Coyotes

It was a coming-out party for Minnesota Wild defenseman Marek Zidlicky, whose three points helped his team defeat the Phoenix Coyotes 4-0 Thursday night at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.

Zidlicky, the 31-year-old Czech native acquired in the offseason, scored two goals and tallied an assist, and the Wild (9-4-1) took advantage of the man advantage as the team racked up four powerplay goals against the Coyotes (8-7-0).

Eric Belanger offered a goal and an assist, and Andrew Brunette also found the net.

"We played a complete game. For 60 minutes, we played really solid hockey," Wild winning goalie Niklas Backstrom told the Star Tribune.

The Wild has won nine straight games versus the Coyotes.

On tap: The Columbus Blue Jackets (7-7-2) come to the Twin Cities to take on the Wild on Saturday night at 7 p.m. CT.

Burke Leaving the Pond

The worst-kept secret in NHL management appears to be coming to fruition as Anaheim Ducks General Manager Brian Burke has stepped down, replaced by Bob Murray, the Ducks' Senior VP of Hockey Operations.

It has long been suspected that Burke is en route to becoming the next general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Currently, Cliff Fletcher holds that position on an interim basis.

Leafs' CEO Richard Peddle only added to the hype on Wednesday.

"Obviously Cliff is in the job right now, but it was never imagined that he would be our long-term GM," Peddie told Pierre LeBrun of ESPN.com. "His contract states that. He's very accepting and positive about that. He's here to serve the Leaf Nation as long as we want him there. And he's done a great job. "We had imagined that our search [for a permanent GM] would begin again in the spring. When I get back to Toronto I'll chat with some of my board members and decide our next steps."

Burke acknowledged the decision to step down was a difficult one.

"It was a tough decision. These people have been great to me," Burke said. "But I'm doing this for family reasons." Burke has stated publicly that he would like to return to the East Coast, where he has children from his first marriage.

The move was prompted by a meeting last week between Burke and Ducks' CEO Michael Schulman, during which Burke turned down a contract extension by the Ducks. The decision was made to hand the reins to Murray and allow Burke to seek employment elsewhere under good terms with the Ducks. While Burke's contract officially runs through the end of the NHL season, he is considered an unrestricted free agent and can negotiate with any team.

Power Rankings: Top 10

1. (3) San Jose Sharks (13-3-0): Sharks keep chomping up the competition, having won nine of 11 games.

2. (4) Detroit Red Wings (9-2-2): Wings continue to ride the success of a veteran club, thanks in large part to Marian Hossa.

3. (2) New York Rangers (11-5-2): The Rangers are proving that success is no fluke in the Big Apple, though they have struggled as of late.

4. (NR) Washington Capitals (8-4-2): With Ovechkin back from Russia, the Caps are ready to soar.

5. (5) Montreal Canadiens (8-2-2): Montreal will face the next three games without Kostopoulous (suspension).

6. (1) Buffalo Sabres (8-3-3): With the Bills struggling, Buffalo fans should be paying more attention to Lindy's boys.

7. (NR) Vancouver Canucks (9-6-0): Relying on stellar goalie Roberto Luongo, the Canucks have rebounded from a bad start. How long can it last?

8. (8) Pittsburgh Penguins (8-4-2): A three-game win streak has Pens fans flying high.

9. (NR) Boston Bruins (8-3-3): Bruins not only fighting the competition, but the past, while goalie Tim Thomas has stepped up.

10. (10) Anaheim Ducks (9-7-1): Ducks chugging along in fierce Pacific Division.

Luongo Displays Magic as Wild Falls to Canucks

Vancouver Canucks goalie Roberto Luongo made 29 saves to beat the Minnesota Wild (8-4-1) on Saturday night in Canada, posting his third consecutive shutout.

The 2-0 loss by the Wild catapulted the Canucks (9-6-0) to first place in the Northwest Division standings. Luongo's scoreless streak reached 201 minutes with the victory.

Sami Salo scored the game-winning goal for the Canucks.

The Wild finishes its road trip with a 2-2 record.

On tap: The Wild returns home to play the Phoenix Coyotes (6-6-0) on Thursday night at 7 p.m.

Strong Goalie Play Surges Wild Past Avs

Minnesota goalie Nicklas Backstrom stopped 35 shots as the Wild topped the Colorado Avalanche (5-8-0) to beat its first Northwest Division opponent this season.

"Our goaltender was super," Wild coach Jacques Lemaire said after the game, held at the Pepsi Center in Denver.

Forwards Pierre-Marc Bouchard, Benoit Pouliot and Andrew Brunette all scored for the Wild (8-3-1) in the 3-1 victory. The listless Avs tallied a goal by Darcy Tucker.

"I feel good," Backstrom told the Star Tribune. "It's fun to play like this."

The Avalanche beat the Wild in the Stanley Cup playoffs last season.

On tap: The Wild remains on the road and will take on the Vancouver Canucks (8-6-0) on Saturday night.

Wild Bitten By Sharks, 3-1

There was no upset Tuesday night in either the political realm or the hockey rink. Just as Republican presidential candidate John McCain couldn't outperform Barack Obama, so too could the Minnesota Wild fail to unseat the Western Conference's top team, the San Jose Sharks (11-2-0).

Sharks Jamie McGinn and Ryane Clowe scored just over two minutes apart to take the lead for good. The Fish outshot the Wild 21-5 in the third frame and 49-24 for the game. It was Minnesota's eighth consecutive loss to San Jose. The last win came Oct. 21, 2006.

Wild call-up Krys Kolanos scored his first NHL goal in three years, and the Wild looked formidable despite not playing Marian Gaborik, Owen Nolan and Brent Burns--all suffering injuries. But the talent of San Jose was too much as the game entered its final stage.

The Wild (7-3-1) has lost three out of four games.

Seeing stars: Former Wild right winger Mark Parrish has signed with the Dallas Stars. Parrish, 31, will make $500,000 as part of the one-year deal. He had 16 goals and 14 assists in 66 games last year.

Smooches: Wild winger Stephane Veilleux has a pair of lips and knows how to use them. On Saturday in Phoenix, Veilleux leaned over and gave teammate James Sheppard a peck on the helmet during a break in play in which the "Kiss Cam" targeted the two players on the Wild bench.

"It was just kind of funny," Veilleux said in the Star Tribune. "It's all for the fans. That's why I did it. We should be entertaining the fans, and I thought it would be fun for them."

On tap: The Wild travel to Denver to take on the Colorado Avalanche (5-7) on Thursday night.

Wild Reverses Skid Despite Injuries

Playing the Phoenix Coyotes (4-5-0) on Saturday was the cure for a Minnesota Wild team needing a victory following back-to-back losses. The Wild (7-2-1) defeated the Coyotes 3-2, despite losing defenseman Brent Burns to an upper-body injury during the pregame warm-up.

Eric Belanger, Benoit Pouliot and Mikko Koivu all scored for the Wild. Ollie Jokinen scored both goals--one on the power play and the other shorthanded--for the Coyotes.

In addition to Burns, Wild forwards Owen Nolan and Marian Gaborik also did not play.

"We've got half of our offense that is out," coach Jacques Lemaire said after the game. "That's a huge game for us. We were intense. Everyone played hard."

On tap: The Wild travel to San Jose to play the first-place Sharks (9-2-0) on Tuesday night.