ST. PAUL, Minn., Dec. 19 (UPI) -- Colton Gillies put Minnesota in front with his first NHL goal Friday and the Wild went on to down the New York Islanders 4-1.
Minnesota halted a six-game losing streak, the longest in franchise history. The Wild won for the first time since Dec. 3 against St. Louis.
Pierre-Marc Bouchard, Mikko Koivu and Stephane Veilleux also scored for Minnesota and Niklas Backstrom had to make just 15 saves.
The Islanders have lost eight in a row. Richard Park scored New York's only goal and Joey MacDonald stopped 35 of 39 shots.
Minnesota trailed late in the second period before turning the game into a romp. Veilleux tied the contest with less than a minute to play in the second and Gillies scored early in the third.
Gillies intercepted a pass in his own zone, regained it as he headed for the goal and put a shot on MacDonald. The initial effort was stopped, but Gillies jammed in the rebound.
