Petr Prucha scores twice, Coyotes beat Wild 6-4

Prucha scores twice in Coyotes’ win

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Petr Prucha scored twice, Ed Jovanovski had a career-best four assists in his return from a two-game suspension and the Phoenix Coyotes held on to beat the Minnesota Wild 6-4 on Saturday night.

Shane Doan snapped a four-game scoreless streak with a goal and an assist, and Adrian Aucoin, Vernon Fiddler also scored for the Coyotes, who have won two straight after going winless in five games.

Guillarme Latendresse had his first career hat trick, and Owen Nolan added a goal and an assist for the Wild, who have lost two straight after posting four straight wins for second time this season.

Prucha and Fiddler scored 78 seconds apart to give the Coyotes a 5-1 lead with 10:10 to go.

Then the Wild stormed back.

Latendresse scored his second goal with 9:24 to go on a redirection in front for the Wild’s first power-play goal in their last five games against Phoenix.

Nolan made it 5-3 just 51 seconds later when he bounced a shot off Ilya Bryzgalov’s right leg seconds after Scottie Upshall was whistled for high-sticking.

Latendresse completed his hat trick on a wrist shot from the inside of the left circle to cut Phoenix’s lead to 5-4 with 5:17 remaining.

But Vrbata scored with a minute remaining to cap the seven-goal period.

Prucha took a pass from Martin Hanzal just above the inside hashes and beat Niklas Backstrom on a wrist shot for a 1-0 Phoenix lead at 7:45 of the first period.

Doan made it 2-0 at 10:05 of the period, one-timing a pass from Daniel Winnik past Backstrom from the inside of the right faceoff circle.

Latendresse scored his first on a one-timer off a pass from Kyle Broziak to pull the Wild within 2-1 at 17:35 of the second period.

Aucoin extended Phoenix’s lead to 3-1 at 1:59 of the third when his hard shot from the point eluded Backstrom with help from a screen by Scottie Upshall.

NOTES: Latendresse has six goals and four assists in his last five games. … Aucoin played in his 900th NHL game. … Phoenix has three straight regulation wins at home against Minnesota for the first time in the series history.