pretty handily. Its weird how teams that are so tight in the

WINNIPEG -- After a frantic first period Blake Wheeler might have been forgotten if not for what he did in the third. Wheeler scored two goals, including the winner, as the Winnipeg Jets beat the Minnesota Wild 6-4 on Friday in a game that featured a seven-goal first period. Wheeler ended a scramble in front of the Minnesota net when he poked the puck under a prone Niklas Backstrom with 9:20 remaining in the third period for his 14th goal of the season, giving the Jets a 5-4 lead. It was the ninth goal in December for Wheeler, who started the season with just five goals in his first 28 games. "I think confidence plays into it," he said of his recent success. "When the puck starts going in the net you find yourself getting into the scoring areas a little bit more. The puck seems to bounce your way a little bit more." Evander Kane, Olli Jokinen, Dustin Byfuglien and Toby Enstrom added goals for Winnipeg. Dany Heatley, Justin Fontaine, Stephane Veilleux and Mikko Koivu were the goal scorers for Minnesota. The Jets (17-18-5), who were coming off a humbling loss in Edmonton on Monday, finally managed to beat the Wild after losing each of the first three meetings between the teams. It was a fourth straight loss for the Wild (20-14-5), who have now dropped six of their last eight games. Neither team seemed interested in playing defence after the three-day Christmas break. The Jets led 4-3 after a first period that saw seven goals scored in the first 7:04, and featured three lead changes. "We dont have the luxury of finding reasons for things not being OK," said Wild coach Mike Yeo, who said the first period was clearly a by-product of the extended break. "Were in a position where we have to make things right." Minnesota struck first when Heatley scored on a wide-open net after a pass from Jason Pominville 2:13 into the game. But the Jets grabbed the lead before the game was six minutes old thanks to a short-handed goal by Kane and a one-timer in the low slot by Jokinen. "When they scored we responded, which was good to see," Kane said. It only took another 67 seconds for the Wild to go ahead 3-2, on goals by Fontaine and Veilleux. That ended Ondrej Pavelecs outing. The Jets starting goalie smashed his stick en route to the dressing room after allowing three goals on six shots, giving way to backup Al Montoya. Jets coach Claude Noel said the quick hook had more to do with his teams sluggish play in its own zone than anything. "I think our team needed a jolt," he said. Jets captain Andrew Ladd echoed the coach, saying that the team felt sympathy for the lack of support they provided for their goalkeeper. "I thought Monty did a great job once he got in there," Ladd said. "The first three goals, there was nothing Pav couldve done about them, so it was more about trying to get some momentum for our group on the bench." After nearly eight scoreless minutes, the Jets once again claimed the lead on late-period goals from Wheeler and Byfuglien. Wild goalie Niklas Backstrom allowed four goals on 11 first-period shots, and finished with 32 saves on 37 total shots. The lone goal in the second period came on a Wild power play, as a perfect passing sequence ended with an easy goal for Koivu to tie the game at 4-4. That was the only blemish for Montoya, who stopped the other 22 shots he faced. Enstrom added an empty-net goal from 175 feet with four seconds remaining. The Wild won each of the three previous meetings by one goal, including a shootout victory on Nov. 23. Both clubs return to action on Sunday, with the Jets travelling to Denver while the Wild head home to face the New York Islanders. Notes: Zach Parise, dealing with a lower-body injury, missed a second straight game for the Wild. ... The Jets were without defencemen Zach Bogosian (flu) and Mark Stuart, who was a late scratch with a lower-body injury after taking the morning skate. ... The teams have one remaining meeting, in Winnipeg on April 7. ABBOTSFORD, B.C. -- The Texas Stars snapped a three-game winless streak the best way they know how -- by scoring a bushel of goals in quick succession. The Stars are the highest scoring team in the American Hockey League and showed it by thumping the Abbotsford Heat 7-2 on Sunday. Colton Sceviour scored his first of the night just 53 seconds into the game, but it was his second that capped a six-goal second period for the Stars. "We were able to get a goal early and we buried our chances," said Sceviour. "In yesterdays game (a 3-2 Abbotsford shootout victory), (Heat goalie Olivier) Roy made some big saves and we werent able to capitalize. Today we were able to capitalize and that was the big difference." Lopsided victories are nothing new between these two clubs. Abbotsfords largest margin of defeat this season was a 9-3 loss in Texas Oct. 20, which it followed with a 7-3 win. The Stars also toppled the Heat 5-0 in January. "Its kind of strange," said Sceviour. "The second game they played us in Texas they beat us pretty handily. Its weird how teams that are so tight in the standings that when they play one team seems to control the other a little bit. But fortunately its been us more times than not." Scott Glennie had a pair of goals, while Brett Ritchie, Jyrki Jokipakka, and Mike Hedden also scored for Texas (29-15-6), which moves the club to within two points of the Heat for first in the Western Conference. "Its good for us, but we know theyre a good team," said Glennie. "The games, it seems, have been one-sided this year, one way or another. Its been fun playing them and well have a tough matchup in the future." The Stars boast the top-two goal scorers in the AHL in Sceviour and points leader Travis Morin. "(Sceviour) is such a big part of the team," said Glennie. "We need those guys to be scoring for us to be successful, and they bring it every single night. But obviously when we get the secondary scoring, like tonight, its huge for us as well. When youre playing a team like Abbotsford you need that." Cristopher Nilstorp made 33 saves for the win. "(Nilstorp) was fantastic," added Glennie. &quoot;They had a lot of good opportunities to get back in the game and he was there to stop them every single time and that was great.dddddddddddd" Max Reinhart and Shane OBrien replied for Abbotsford (31-15-4), which had a five-game winning streak snapped. Olivier Roy allowed four goals on 24 shots before being replaced by Joni Ortio, who was reassigned to the Heat by the Calgary Flames for the Olympic break. Ortio let in the first shot he faced and three of the first six shots that went his way. "The second period was a big outburst and that was kind of a shock for both teams," said Glennie. The Stars opened the scoring when Dustin Jeffreys pass deflected in off Sceviours skate, and after review the goal stood. The Heat tied the game at 11:19. Corban Knight jammed at the puck down low, and with the puck sitting on the goal line Reinhart swooped around the net to tuck it in for his 12th of the season. OBrien gave the Heat their only lead of the game at 2:14 of the second. After leading a shorthanded rush he dropped the puck to Markus Granlund and went to the net. Granlund had two assists on the night. Ritchie tied the game a little more than a minute later on a power play. His wrist shot from the left face-off dot found its way through a pair of bodies into the top right corner for his 11th of the season, beginning the offensive onslaught. "We knew we let it snowball on us, and give them credit - they smelled some blood and they took advantage," said OBrien. Glennie then scored two goals in a three-minute span. First he one-timed a feed from Chris Mueller while shorthanded. Then he was the beneficiary of a lucky bounce, with the puck going off a defencemans backside and in. Ortio came in to play goal, but allowed Jokipakka to score on the first shot he faced. "Goals four and five were the absolute backbreakers for me and our team," said Heat head coach Troy Ward. "The ones that were on the power play after, thats a frenzy of wolves feeding. They just smelled blood, and they went for it and they got it." Hedden and Sceviour then scored on successive power plays for their 18th and 29th goals respectively to round out the scoring. 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