turned a 38-33 halftime lead into a nine-point advantage with b

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Surging into and out of the Olympic break, the Minnesota Wild have created a significant cushion between them and their competitors for the two Western Conference wild-card playoff spots. Thats not enough. With five days before they play next, this was still a game they were worried about -- and had to win. Jared Spurgeon and Zach Parise scored in the third period, and the Wild notched their season-high fifth straight victory, 3-2 over the Calgary Flames on Monday night. "You dont want to go a week without getting any points the way things are, even if you have a cushion," Wild coach Mike Yeo said. "The cushion to me is nothing ... because its not about where the people are behind you. To me its much more of a race of what you need to get to." The Wild have 75 points, nine ahead of the cut, but they are off until Saturday. Then they will launch their final stretch of 20 games in 37 days. "I dont think we were at our best. I dont think we played at a level we need to play. But it doesnt matter when you look back at the score," Parise said. Kyle Brodziak also scored, rookie Darcy Kuemper stopped 21 shots during his 15th start in a row, and the Wild raised their record at home to 22-7-2 while playing in front of their fans for the first time in 25 days. Captain Mikko Koivu, back from a 17-game absence due to a broken ankle, skated on the second line with Dany Heatley and Charlie Coyle, apart from Parise for the first time. Parise gave the Wild some insurance by camping in the crease and deflecting a shot past Reto Berra with 5:16 remaining for his 21st goal. Just 77 seconds later, Mark Giordano scored to bring the Flames back within a goal. But Kuemper hung on to raise his record to 11-3-2. Kuemper has played so well in place of Josh Harding and Niklas Backstrom that the Wild might not need to trade for a goalie before the deadline. "The confidence he has now, you can see that, and its just kind of the edge hes playing with thats good to see," Koivu said. "Hes playing winning hockey right now, so obviously thats a huge part of the team." Mikael Granlund had two assists while playing in the NHL for the first time against his brother Markus Granlund, who was called up from the AHL last week by the Flames. After a scoreless, sluggish and penalty-free first period, the pace picked up in the middle frame. Matt Cooke swooped in behind the net to poke the puck away from Berra. Brodziak crept toward the crease to corral the puck and knocked it in for the games first goal. "If you make a mistake the puck ends up in the net. I feel bad for the team because they played really hard tonight and we had a great chance to win," Berra said. Mike Cammalleri, playing perhaps his last game for the Flames with the NHL trade deadline looming on Wednesday, tied it 1-1 in the second period when Koivus pass ricocheted across the slot to him for an easy tap-in that Kuemper had no chance to stop. "No moral victories. We know theyre playing well, but wed like to win," Cammalleri said. With Coyle screening Berra on a power play, Spurgeon sent a slap shot through traffic for the lead. "We had to kind of grind that one out. I had a feeling this was going to be a difficult game for us right from the start," Yeo said. The Flames, buried in the Western Conference playoff race, could make some moves this week. Cammalleri scored for the first time since Jan. 6. He missed nine games during that stretch because of a concussion. "Cammi, you always know that hes going to show up to work," coach Bob Hartley said. NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, as a guest of Wild owner Craig Leipold, watched from a suite. Leipold took him earlier in the day to Target Field, where baseballs Twins play, and TCF Bank Stadium, the football home of the University of Minnesota, for tours of possible outdoor game venues. The NHL put on six this season. Bettman has assured the Wild they will be awarded an outdoor game but hasnt committed to a timeframe. NOTES: Flames RW David Jones hurt his upper body in a collision against the boards. "It doesnt look very good," Hartley said. ... Koivu missed 17 games, plus the Olympics for his native Finland, because of a broken ankle. ... Markus Granlund posted his first NHL assist, on Giordanos goal. Jonathan Stewart Giants Jersey .J. - The New York Jets have signed former Green Bay Packers backup quarterback Graham Harrell, giving them some added depth at the position. Cody Latimer Jersey . -- Shanshan Feng was alone in her opinion about the pin positions in the Kraft Nabisco Championship. http://www.nygiantsfanaticshop.com/Black-Will-Hernandez-Giants-Jersey.html?cat=947 . Although taking two of three from the Baltimore Orioles wasnt nearly as uplifting as winning the World Series, it still felt pretty darn good. Felix Doubront and four relievers combined kept Baltimores potent lineup in check, and David Ortiz had three of Bostons 12 hits off Wei-Yin Chen in a 4-3 victory Thursday night. Saquon Barkley Jersey . - San Diego Padres centre fielder Cameron Maybin is going to be out two to three months after rupturing his left biceps tendon during a game against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday. Riley Dixon Jersey . There are surprises among the Vezina candidates, but most of the others are standard top-tier performers, even if the two Hart Trophy runners-ups have never been quite as good as they have been through the first half of the season.Portland, OR (SportsNetwork.com) - Damian Lillard scored 23 points and LaMarcus Aldridge posted his fourth straight double-double as the Portland Trail Blazers held off the Indiana Pacers, 88-82, on Thursday. Aldridge finished with 18 points and 13 rebounds for Portland, which has won three straight and 12 of 13. Nicolas Batum added 13 points, five rebounds and five assists. Portland finished with a season-low in points. We have to be able to win in a lot of different ways, Portland head coach Terry Stotts said. Id love to shoot over 50 percent every night and score 120, but the reality is we have to be able to win in different ways. Rodney Stuckey scored 16 points and Solomon Hill added 15 with eight rebounds in Indianas third straight loss. We had a better defensive performance, said Pacers head coach Frank Vogel. Strong defensive effort. The Blazers turned a 38-33 halftime lead into a nine-point advantage with baskets on their first two looks of the third quarter. The spread was just two when Lillard hit from deep and assisted on BBatums breakaway slam.dddddddddddd Out of a timeout, Lillard converted a three-point play to give Portland its first double-digit lead at 54-44. With the game slipping away, Hill and David West combined for 13 points and Damjan Rudez connected on a long two as the Pacers pulled back to within three heading into the fourth. Twice in the fourth, Indiana tied the score but failed to get over the hump. C.J. Watsons layup at 9:10 made it 66-66 before Portland rattled over 11 straight. Roy Hibberts hook shot at 5:19 ended a nearly four-minute scoring drought. Aldridge and Batum both made two free throws in the final minute to help Portland seal the outcome. Earlier, Portland led 16-14 after a low-scoring first quarter. Indiana then shot 8-for-21 in the second. Game Notes The Pacers outscored Portland 42-32 in the paint ... Aldridge has at least nine points and nine rebounds in nine straight games ... Portland shot 4- for-21 from 3-point range and finished with a season-low in points. ' ' '