Minnesota fans haven’t seen too many losses this season. But in losing their third consecutive game, the Wild gave fans in St. Paul a sight of something seen all too often recently. Dylan Guenther’s power-play goal midway through the third period was a nauseatingly familiar sight for Wild fans, as Minnesota’s penalty kill has been a notable weak spot in their game recently. The visitors held on for a 2-1 win in Utah’s first visit to Xcel Energy Center. The Wild killed Utah’s first two power plays without allowing a shot. But with captain Jared Spurgeon in the penalty box, Utah won a faceoff and needed just four seconds of man advantage to rip a shot past Wild goalie Marc-Andre Fleury for the eventual game-winner. The Wild also were 0 for 5 on the power play, but coach John Hynes wasn’t laying blame on his special teams. “I thought our power play, we didn’t score, but man, did we generate,” Hynes said. “We gave up one shot on the penalty kill in four minutes and 10 seconds. So, yeah, that’s the way it goes sometimes.” Mats Zuccarello, who now has four points in his four games since returning from injury, scored the only goal for the Wild, who have lost five of their last seven. “This is the joy of an 82-game season. You’re going to have some losses where you just scratch your head. Did we deserve better? Yeah, for sure. But a loss is a loss,” Wild forward Marcus Foligno said. “You gotta soak it and you gotta get ready for tomorrow and maybe that’s the best thing…But yeah it’s frustrating.” Guenther, who scored twice when these teams played 10 days ago, had both goals for Utah, which is now 6-0-1 in its last seven games. Utah needed nearly half the first period to register its first shot on goal of the game, and fell behind early when Kirill Kaprizov and Zuccarello showed off their chemistry with a back-and-forth passing play that left goalie Karel Vejmelka all but powerless. It was Zuccarello’s first goal since returning from the lower-body injury that had sidelined him for a month. But Utah pulled even just 58 seconds later, when Fleury stopped a shot by Jack McBain only to have the rebound glance off Guenther’s skate and into the net. Hynes had a conversation with officials about potentially challenging the play. But since there was no distinct kicking motion, the goal was unlikely to be overturned. In the second period, after Kaprizov was robbed of a go-ahead score by a Utah defender who stopped the puck on the goal line, Utah appeared to take the lead when McBain shot a puck through traffic past Fleury. Minnesota challenged the play, and replays showed Kevin Stenlund had pushed Fleury out of position with his stick a half-second before the shot, which constituted goalie interference. The Wild are now a perfect 4 for 4 in successful coach’s challenges this season. “That’s not me making the call. That’s our two video coaches, Jonas (Plumb) and T.J. (Jindra). Those guys are diligent back there,” Hynes said. “It’s nice and you feel confident because they know the rules, which is really important. They know when to challenge. Obviously they’re conscious of it. They know what they’re looking at. And those guys do a great job. And that’s a big part of their job. They’re a little bit behind the scene but those two guys do a great job, and you fully trust them and obviously the job that they do is indicative of that.” Vejmelka had 28 saves for Utah, which fell to the Wild 5-4 in a shootout on Dec. 10 at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City — the franchise’s new home after they relocated from Arizona last summer. Their coach said holding Kaprizov to one assist was a key. “Bench was rock solid. I think we defended well, we kept them as much as possible on the outside. They’re a tough team to play,” Utah coach Andre Tourigny said. “They have an elite player but really happy the way we play against their top player in the second part of the game, not really in the first, but I think we got better.” For Fleury, it was the first time he has started consecutive games this season as the Wild are still without regular goaltender Filip Gustavsson, who is battling a lower-body injury. Fleury had 16 saves, falling to 6-3-1 as a starter this season. The third period was played with just one referee, as Jon McIsaac left the game early due to a rib injury. The Wild boarded a northbound plane after the game, flying to Winnipeg for a Saturday night game versus the Central Division-leading Jets. “There’s no easy games in this league, no matter who you play,” Zuccarello said. “So yeah, it’s a short turnaround here, and then it’s a part of his job. You gotta be ready for play tomorrow.” Related Articles Minnesota Wild | Puck to the neck doesn’t sideline Wild D Brock Faber Minnesota Wild | For former Gophers star Logan Cooley, Utah is the newest hockey home Minnesota Wild | Lackluster late night for Wild as Panthers flex their muscle Minnesota Wild | Puck possession in focus as Wild seek penalty kill solutions Minnesota Wild | Jess Myers: With strong start, no desperate moves needed by injury-riddled Wild