(Sports Network) - Scottie Upshall scored the game-winning goal with 4:39 left in the third period, as the Phoenix Coyotes held on for a 3-2 win over the Minnesota Wild at Xcel Energy Center.

Radim Vrbata registered a goal and an assist, while Jim Vandermeer also tallied for the Coyotes, who rebounded from a 4-1 loss against Tampa Bay on Monday. Ilya Bryzgalov turned aside 24-of-26 shots.

Antii Miettinen and Andrew Brunette each had a goal and an assist for Minnesota, which has dropped four in a row. Niklas Backstrom finished with 29 saves.

With Phoenix clinging to a 2-1 lead in the late stages of the third period, Brunette gathered the puck from behind the net and fed Miettinen, who put a wrister home to tie things with 4:58 left.

Just 19 seconds later, Upshall took a pass from Keith Yandle and from a severe angle below the left circle slid the puck past Backstrom for a 3-2 Phoenix lead.

"As a group of five, at least from the bench, it looked like we retreated into our own zone, watching nobody picking up," said Wild coach Todd Richards. "This is, probably I think, our poorest performance of the year."

Minnesota pulled its goaltender with nearly 1 1/2 minutes left, but Bryzgalov stopped Brent Burns from in close in the closing seconds.

After a scoreless first period, Vrbata's wrist shot from the left circle got through a screen and past Backstrom for a power-play goal 1:24 into the second.

Brunette drew Minnesota even at 2:23 of the third when he backhanded a rebound past Bryzgalov from in close. Vandermeer's tally from the low left circle put the Coyotes back in front at the 8:49 mark.

Game Notes

Phoenix continued to play with a depleted blue line, as Kurt Sauer (headaches), Zbynek Michalek (lower body) and Ed Jovanovski (lower body) all missed the contest...The Wild were without Petr Sykora due to a concussion, and Chuck Kobasew and Benoit Pouliot with upper-body injuries...Despite the loss, Minnesota has won 10 of the last 12 meetings with Phoenix.





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