Blake Coleman breaks out as Wild penalty kill finds its momentum: Takeaways New York Times (Online) Joe Smith SEATTLE — Blake Coleman said the other day he had to go “back to the drawing board” when it came to contributing more offensively. But we bet the veteran winger didn't envision this was how he'd snap out of a seven-game goal drought. Coleman scored the go-ahead goal early in the second period on a breakaway after just getting out of the penalty box. The Wild controlled play from there in a 5-1 victory at Climate Pledge Arena. Coleman added an empty-netter late in the third as his two-goal game matched his total from the first 11 games combined. The Wild are 1-1-1 on the five-game trip heading into Sunday's game in Vancouver: Quinn Hughes' much-anticipated return. What had ailed Minnesota recently — a struggling penalty kill — might have provided a key spark in this victory. Of the seven goals the Wild have allowed on this trip, five came on the power play, and two came shortly after it. That included one by Berkly Catton in the first period. But the Wild opened the second period with a strong penalty kill and that (plus Coleman's goal) seemed to build momentum for the rest of the period. Kirill Kaprizov scored his 12th goal of the season, tying Leon Draisaitl for the league lead. Olli Määttä and Joel Eriksson Ek also scored, and Jesper Wallstedt earned his seventh win in his first 11 starts of the season. Coach John Hynes admitted it was tough to lose defenseman Daemon Hunt, who was claimed off waivers on Saturday by Nashville. But that was part of the risk when Minnesota tried to pass the 24-year-old through waivers to get to AHL Iowa. Here's our read: They had to make a call on who to keep up after Jared Spurgeon and Olli Määttä returned from injuries. Matt Kiersted has played really well, and the Wild wanted to get him in the lineup in that third-pairing spot. While the risk of Hunt getting claimed was there, it was likely considered less risky than if David Špaček was put on waivers. Plus, the Wild wanted some cap flexibility for call-ups like Mason Shaw on Saturday, and could have buried Hunt's $900K in the minors. It was still a little surprising that the Wild couldn't get a late-round pick for Hunt via trade. “They're always hard decisions,” Hynes said. “Tough to lose Daemon. On one side, you're happy he'll get an opportunity. But you have to make some decisions at times what we're going to do. He wanted to get playing. That's unfortunate (we lost him), but I'm happy for him.” Hynes mixed up the line combos with the goal of creating “more threatening options” up front, as secondary scoring has waned. The biggest move was swapping Michael McCarron with Ryan Hartman, who went down to the fourth line with Nico Sturm and Tyler Pitlick. Coleman got a goal — a breakaway after coming out of the penalty box — to snap a seven-game goal drought. The top line was so good again that Hynes is being patient before breaking them up. “It's a combo of whether we break them up or don't break them up,” Hynes said. “In talking with guys too, we have some good offensive players. They've got to help themselves and we've got to help them get better in their games, more in sync and give them opportunities to be more productive.” · Coleman's breakaway goal was great, but don't forget about that steal and slick saucer/stretch pass by Kiersted to spring him. Kiersted is in line for some regular playing time now that Hunt was claimed off waivers, and he has earned it. · Wallstedt gets a much-needed rest Sunday as backup Calvin Pickard makes his second start of the season. Wallstedt has had a really good start to the season, playing in 11 of the first 12 games. He's had a penchant for making timely saves, and that included right before Eriksson Ek's goal in the second period. Wallstedt came through with a sprawling save in front and the Wild went the other way. It went from a potential 3-2 game to 4-1. · Määttä scored in the second period, and has looked good in his first two games back from injury. He said having two injuries in the first 10 games was “frustrating,” but hopes they are behind him. · Bobby Brink admittedly bet on himself over the summer by agreeing to a one-year, $2.75 million AAV deal, but it's been tough sledding for the Minnetonka native, as he's still without a goal in the first 12 games (just 16 shots on goal). Something has got to give here; Brink is certainly capable of more.