Parise, Wild clip Red Wings

ST. PAUL - In the wake of the tightest game in recent memory two nights earlier, the Minnesota Wild exploded on Sunday at Xcel Energy Center en route to a 6-3 win over the sputtering Detroit Red Wings.

It wasn't as pretty as the final score might indicate.

"It was ugly," coach Bruce Boudreau said. "It was a really sloppy game for both teams."

That was the consensus around the locker room after a game in which the Wild failed three times to build on a two-goal lead before pulling away late. Five players scored goals, including two by Zach Parise, who led the charge to put the Red Wings away for good.

Devan Dubnyk, meanwhile, rebounded from a couple of wonky goals early on, recording 30 saves in the win.

"Sometimes I've got to let them know they're going to need six tonight," Dubnyk joked.

Luckily for Dubnyk, the Wild have proven capable of scoring in bunches this season, and the win over the Red Wings was no exception.

"That's the good thing about playing behind these guys is regardless of what happens ... we're going to keep at it," Dubnyk said. "We have shown that time and again. It makes it a lot of fun for me to play."

You know what else is fun? Winning.

That is something the Wild have grown accustomed to this season. They reached the 80-point threshold for the season with the win while also going five points up on the red-hot Chicago Blackhawks.

It looked like it might be a runaway early as the Wild took a lead on a tap-in goal by Mikael Granlund in the first period. That marked 50 points on the season for Granlund, who leads the team in scoring.

A few minutes later, the Wild took a two-goal lead after a very dangerous high stick from Gustav Nyquist sent Jared Spurgeon crashing to the ice. Nyquist jabbed his stick directly in the face of Spurgeon and was called for a double minor, though he very well could've been ejected.

That incited outrage across the Xcel Energy Center, especially from Boudreau on the Wild bench.

Nino Niederreiter, meanwhile, channeled his aggression and made Nyquist pay, scoring a power-play goal barely a minute later after an incredible cross-ice pass from Mikko Koivu.

Anthony Mantha helped the Red Wings cut into the deficit early in the second period as the Wild seemed to lag after a strong start.

Boudreau shuffled the lines midway through the game with the specific intention of getting Coyle going. It worked wonders as Coyle righted the Wild late in the second period, handling a stretch pass from Jason Pominville and showcasing his silky mitts to bust out of his slump.

"I got a good bounce and tried to make a move and it went in," Coyle said. "I was really happy about that."

That looked like it might be the knockout blow until Henrik Zetterberg batted a puck out of midair about 90 seconds later to pull the Red Wings within a goal.

Parise increased the Wild lead in the third period with a goal after a strong effort by Jason Pominville to get him the puck alone in front.

Again the Wild couldn't build on the lead as Andreas Athanasiou scored for the Red Wings 35 seconds later to make it a game.

Christian Folin scored his second goal of the season midway through the third period with a seeing-eye shot from a wide angle and Parise finally delivered the knockout blow with his second goal of the game thanks to a tenacious effort in front.

"There were moments that we have to play better, and I think we recognize that," Koivu said. "We also know at the same time, every win is tough to get in this league, so we're happy with that. We will get a good practice (today) to get back at it and get some details in our game and prepare for a tough game on Tuesday."