Familiar face helps send Devils to third straight defeat

Former Devil Zach Parise scored the go-ahead goal, and the Wild snapped a four-game losing streak and gave coach Bruce Boudreau something to smile about in his 900th NHL game with a 4-2 victory over the Devils at Prudential Center on Saturday.

The third line of Marcus Foligno, Joel Eriksson Ek and Luke Kunin all scored for the Wild, who are clinging to a wild-card playoff spot in the Western Conference. Devan Dubnyk made 16 saves in winning for the first time in four starts.

“We were looking to snap out of the funk, it’s good to get back in the win column for us with the standings and with losing Mikko we have to find something positive, and today will be the start of playing some better hockey,” said Parise, who gave the Wild the lead for good early in the second period with his 22nd goal.

Brett Seney and Jesper Bratt scored for the Devils, who have lost the first three on a four-game homestand. Cory Schneider made 29 saves in his second straight start since an almost two-month stint on injured reserve with an abdominal issue.

Parise, who signed with Minnesota as a free agent in 2012 after spending his first seven seasons with the Devils, gave the Wild a 2-1 lead at 4:34 of the second period, tipping a power-play shot by Ryan Suter past Schneider.

Eriksson Ek, who was recalled from Iowa (AHL) on Wednesday after Mikko Koivu suffered a season-ending knee injury, pushed the lead to 3-1 with 4:53 left in the second period with his second goal in as many games. Schneider made a save on a shot from the point by defenseman Jonas Brodin, but the rebound went right to Eriksson Ek for a shot into an open net.

Bratt got the Devils within a goal early in the third period with a backhander in close, but Kunin beat Schneider from the left circle for his second goal of the season.

“I think Cory played well,” Devils coach John Hynes said. “I think the fourth goal, we would all like to have that one back. I think when you look at his game overall, he made some good saves and gave us an opportunity to win.”

Seney gave the Devils an early lead with a blast past Dubnyk, but Foligno tied the game at 12:19 of the first period with a backhander into an open net. Schneider was defenseless on the play after losing his stick in a goal-mouth scramble.