TORONTO -- Eric Staal continued to find success against Toronto, scoring what turned out to be the game winner as the Minnesota Wild beat the Maple Leafs 3-2 on Wednesday.
Staal has 47 points in 43 career games against Toronto. Three of his six goals this season have come against the Maple Leafs.
Jason Zucker and Chris Stewart also scored for the Wild (13-8-4), who wrapped up their five-game road trip 2-1-2.
Ben Smith and Tyler Bozak found the back of the net for the Maple Leafs (10-10-5), who dropped to 8-4-0 at Air Canada Centre.
Devan Dubnyk made 35 saves for the win as Frederik Andersen kicked out 17-of-20 shots in defeat.
Toronto came out with energy and looked eager to score in the opening minutes of the game.
Minnesota opened the scoring 8:42 into the first period, however, after forcing a turnover from Nazem Kadri behind his own net.
Mikko Koivu stripped Kadri and made a short pass to Mikael Granlund, who then put the puck out front to Zucker and he beat Andersen blocker side for a 1-0 lead.
Momentum quickly swung Minnesota's way after Zucker's goal.
Andersen was forced to make a fine pad save on Granlund from the slot, but moments later Stewart made it 2-0 when he was sprung in alone on a breakaway with a long pass from Jared Spurgeon.
Smith got one back for Toronto with 3:10 to go in the period on a play that started harmlessly.
Kadri crossed Minnesota's blue line and put a shot on net that Dubnyk kicked out to the slot, where Smith was waiting to bang it home for a 2-1 game.
Staal regained the two-goal lead for the Wild just 1:15 into the second period, putting a backhand past Andersen after taking a pass from behind the net from Charlie Coyle.
It took Toronto over five minutes to register its first shot on net in the second.
Koivu nearly scored midway through the period when Toronto turned the puck over again behind its net, but Andersen was there to get a pad on the Finn's wrist shot from between the circles.
Andersen's save proved to be big when Bozak responded with an individual effort to make it 3-2 at 10:54. Bozak stole the puck in Minnesota's end, undressed Matt Dumba and beat Dubnyk with a backhand up top.
The Leafs led 20-17 in shots through 40 minutes of action.
Linesmen Steve Miller took a Roman Polak slap shot in the left knee in the opening minute of the third period and instantly dropped to the ice in pain. He eventually skated off the ice with assistance and didn't return, leaving the game to be finished with three officials instead of four.
The Leafs had a couple of opportunities to tie the game early in the period, at one point outshooting the Wild 13-2, but Dubnyk was there to turn away both William Nylander and Leo Komarov in succession from in close.
Nylander started the game centring the fourth line, but was moved to the wing alongside Komarov and Kadri in the second period.
Toronto had one final opportunity to even the score late when Ryan Suter took a minor penalty, but Minnesota killed it off and held on.
Notes: Dubnyk was making the 300th start of his NHL career. He entered the game with the best save percentage in the league at .946... Connor Carrick replaced Martin Marincin on Toronto's blue line... Antoine Bibeau backed up Frederik Andersen while Karri Ramo made his first start for the AHL Marlies against Utica. He made 33 saves in a 3-2 loss.
