(Sports Network) - Marty Turco made 25 saves to earn his sixth win of the season, as the Chicago Blackhawks held on for a 3-1 victory over the Minnesota Wild at Xcel Energy Center.
Troy Brouwer and Duncan Keith both scored their first goal of the season for the Blackhawks, who recovered after losing to the Oilers on Friday; it had been their third loss in four contests. Keith added an assist, while Patrick Kane assisted on two goals in the win.
"The coaches are making sure that I'm staying physical, and every once in awhile I can get complacent and get away from that," Brouwer said. "Like I said last year, every game I've been at my best I've had four, five or six hits, and I'm creating space for myself and my other linemates."
Marek Zidlicky was the lone scorer for the Wild, who were coming off an impressive 2-1 win over the reigning Presidents' Trophy winners, the Washington Capitals. Niklas Backstrom yielded two goals on 31 shots in defeat.
"They're a possession team. By the time we got going, it was too late," said Minnesota's John Madden, who played last year with the Blackhawks. "They use the ice well. They all skate well, and they exit their zone really well and don't always use the boards. We've got to stay in the game and no matter what they're doing play our style."
Both goaltenders stood strong in the first period, with Backstrom making 11 saves while Turco had nine.
It looked as though that trend would continue through the second period, but Chicago broke through with 31 seconds remaining in the frame on Brouwer's tally.
Turco maintained the shutout through 40 minutes with seven saves.
Just 3:26 into the third, Keith doubled Chicago's advantage, which would prove important.
With 5:54 to play in the game, Zidlicky found a loose puck just to the right of the goal mouth, and Turco was stationed at the top of the crease. With a wide-open net at which to shoot, Zidlicky easily deposited the disc into the net to trim the deficit to one.
Minnesota nearly tied the game 1 1/2 minutes later, but Turco made a sliding pad stop to halt a shot from the slot area. Backstrom was pulled in an attempt to net the equalizer, but Jake Dowell scored an empty-net goal with 36 seconds left to seal the outcome for Chicago.
Game Notes
The Blackhawks won three of four versus the Wild last season...Minnesota has lost three of four overall...Chicago improved to 3-1-1 on the road this season.