NHL: Minnesota 3, Florida 2 (SO)

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SUNRISE, Fla., Feb. 23 (UPI) -- Goals by Erik Christensen and Matt Cullen in the shootout Thursday lifted the Minnesota Wild to a 3-2 win over Florida.

The Wild won their second straight and picked up two much-needed points in their bid to earn a playoff position. Minnesota began the night five points out of the eighth and final Western Conference post-season berth.

Christensen and Cullen scored in the opening two rounds of the shootout while Niklas Backstrom was stopping Florida's Kris Versteeg and Sean Bergenheim.

Bergenheim tied the contest with 4:12 left in regulation after Matt Cullen had given Minnesota a 2-1 lead early in the third period with a power-play goal.

The Panthers, who went into the contest tied for the lead with Winnipeg in the Southeast Division, have lost four in a row.

Backstrom made 41 saves while Jose Theodore stopped 26-of-28 shots.