The Bruins once again failed to provide much support for Tuukka Rask, who made 31 saves in a losing effort.
But a punchless power play that went 0 for 4 on the night with just four shots and a costly giveaway by Marc Savard did in the Bruins, who couldn't build off their successful road trip in their first game back home.
The Bruins will try to get another winning streak started on the road as they head to Montreal on Saturday for a key Northeast Division clash.
Third Period, 19:19, Wild 3-1: The Wild put this one away as Koivu scores an empty-netter after Recchi broke his stick.
Third Period, 18:50, Wild 2-1: The Bruins have pulled Rask, and Savard gets another shift as he comes on as the extra attacker. The Bruins have five forwards on the ice, plus Chara.
Third Period, 17:28, Wild 2-1: The Wheeler-Krejci-Ryder line has remained intact, so Savard remains on the bench along with fourth-liners Thornton and Campbell in crunch time after the center's costly giveaway earlier this period.
Third Period, 15:40, Wild 2-1: Julien has shuffled his lines again, with Seguin skating between Lucic and Horton and Marchand now with Bergeron and Recchi.
Third Period, 14:04, Wild 2-1: The Wild come within inches of extending the lead as Matt Cullen sends a shot off the post.
Third Period, 11:20, Wild 2-1: The Bruins kill that penalty off, and nearly score shorthanded as Recchi sends a shot just wide off a feed from Bergeron.
Rask also made a big save on a tip in front midway through the power play to keep it a one-goal game.
Third Period, 9:20, Wild 2-1: The Bruins will now be down a man, as Johnny Boychuk gets two minutes for high-sticking.
Third Period, 8:10, Wild 2-1: The Bruins remain unsuccessful on the power play, as they're now 0 for 4 on the night with the man-advantage.
Third Period, 6:10, Wild 2-1: Savard tries to make up for his gaffe as he has a bid in close at the left post, but Theodore denies his shot at redemption.
The Bruins do go on the power play though, as Mikko Koivu gets called for hooking.
Third Period, 4:57, Wild 2-1: The energy line creates a chance as the Bruins look for the equalizer, but after Marchdn circles the cage, McQuaid's point shot is stopped and the Bruins can't bang home a rebound in the scramble in front.
Third Period, 2:22, Wild 2-1: The Wild move back in front after a brutal giveaway by Savard sets up Cal Clutterbuck for the goal.
Savard sent out a pass from the left corner of the Bruins' zone that went right on Clutterbuck's stick in front, and Clutterbuck buried it for the 2-1 lead.
Third Period, 1:26, 1-1: Lucic drives hard to the net, but Theodore holds the short side to deny him at the left post.
Third Period, 0:00, 1-1: The final frame is under way at the Garden, as the Bruins look to net the go-ahead goal to finally beat the WIld in Boston for the first time.
Second Intermission Notes: The action picked up quite a bit in the second period, but the game remains deadlocked going into the third.
The Bruins will need to continue their dominance in the third to pull out the two points in this one. They have outscored opponents 45-18 in the third period this year, and need to add at least one more goal to that tally.
It would help if they could get something going on the power play. The Bruins are now 0 for 9 over the last four games, having last scored on the man-advantage on Mark Recchi's game-winner in the final minute in Tampa Bay back on Dec. 28. Boston is also 0 for 34 all-time on the power play against Minnesota.
After leading the Bruins with six shots in the first, the top line of Marc Savard, Milan Lucic and Nathan Horton went quiet in the second with no shots between them. It was the line of Patrice Bergeron, Tyler Seguin and Recchi that created the bulk of the chances, with Bergeron and Seguin picking up assists on defenseman Steven Kampfer's goal.
End Second Period, 1-1: Forty minutes are in the books, and nothing has been decided yet as the clubs will head into the third tied at 1-1.
There was a lot more action in the second though, with each team scoring and Minnesota holding a 16-10 edge in shots.
Second Period, 18:53, 1-1: The Bruins finally use Bergeron on the draw for an offensive-zone faceoff, and he promptly wins it back to the point for a scoring chance, but the shot is blocked out front.
Second Period, 17:36, 1-1: Rask makes the save of the night, diving back across the crease to rob Havlat at the right post with a spectacular stop.
Second Period, 13:36, 1-1: The Bruins are clearly energized from that goal, as they continue to apply pressure offensively. They've also amped up their physical play, with Lucic landing the biggest hit of the night on Brodziak.
Second Period, 10:50, 1-1: The Bruins pull even, with Patrice Bergeron setting up the play and Steven Kampfer finishing it off.
Bergeron stole the puck and fired in a quick turnaround shot from the left slot, and Kampfer banged in the rebound at the right side as he pinched in from the point. Seguin also picked up an assist on the play, as he initially got a piece of the rebound.
Second Period, 9:11, Wild 1-0: The Bruins come up empty yet again on the power play. That's 0 for 3 in this game and 0 for 34 all-time against Minnesota with the man-advantage.
Second Period, 7:11, Wild 1-0: The Bruins get another power play, this time with Patrick O'Sullivan called for holding Tyler Seguin in front of the Minnesota net.
Second Period, 5:48, Wild 1-0: The Bruins nearly answer, as Krejci makes a nice move around a defender and launches a shot from the top of the right circle, but Theodore turns aside the bid.
Second Period, 4:45, Wild 1-0: The Wild need just four seconds on the man-advantage as Martin Havlat gets control of a loose puck off the faceoff, drives to the net and flips a shot past Rask to open the scoring.
Second Period, 4:41, 0-0: The Bruins will have their first penalty to kill of the night with Thornton called for hooking on a questionable call as Brett Burns went down very easy on a light tug.
Second Period, 3:10, 0-0: David Krejci takes the worst of a big collision at the blue line with Wild defenseman Greg Zanon, but the Bruins center appears OK.
Second Period, 1:28, 0-0: A pair of faceoff losses lead to scoring bids from the point by Minnesota defenseman Cam Barker, but Rask is able to turn both aside.
Second Period, 0:00, 0-0: The middle frame is under way, with both teams looking for that crucial first goal in what seems destined to be a low-scoring affair between defensive-minded clubs.
First Intermission Notes: Not too much doing in that first 20 minutes, which is not a huge surprise against a Wild team known for its tight defensive system.
The Bruins did manage to post a 13-9 edge in shots, with nearly half of those shots coming from the top line. Marc Savard (3 shots), Nathan Horton (2) and Milan Lucic (1, plus two other attempts) combined for six shots, as they look to build off their strong showing in Toronto on Monday.
The Bruins still have not fully revved up their physical play, with just seven hits in the first period. Blake Wheeler surprisingly is the only Bruin with two hits, while the Wild also have seven hits with two each from Cal Clutterbuck and Nick Schultz.
The Bruins are just 5-9 (36 percent) on draws, and really could use Patrice Bergeron taking more of them. Tyler Seguin is 1-2 so far, with his only win coming when Bergeron took possession of the puck as he came into the scramble from the right wing.
End First Period, 0-0: And a relatively uneventful first period comes to a close with the Bruins and Wild still locked in a scoreless draw.
First Period, 19:20, 0-0: The Bruins still can't solve the Wild's penalty kill, as the power play comes up empty again.
First Period, 17:20, 0-0: The Bruins are back on the power play again, with Brett Burns sent off for tripping.
First Period, 16:44, 0-0: Rask faces his toughest test yet, blocking a John Madden bid from the top of the crease.
First Period, 13:47, 0-0: The Bruins can't convert the power-play chance, and fall to 0 for 32 lifetime against Minnesota with the man-advantage.
They did come close though, but Milan Lucic missed connecting with Chara on a backdoor cut at the left post.
First Period, 11:47, 0-0: The Bruins get the first power play of the night, as Kyle Brodziak goes off for tripping Chara.
The Bruins have never scored a power-play goal against Minnesota, going 0 for 31 in 10 meetings between the clubs.
First Period, 8:00, 0-0: The Bruins skated warm-ups with their regular defense pairings, but they've switched things up in the first period. Chara has been skating with Kampfer, while Seidenberg and Boychuk are now together. Ference and McQuaid remain partners.
First Period, 4:50, 0-0: Marchand lands the first big hit of the night, stapling Brett Burns into the boards behind the Minnesota net.
First Period, 2:20, 0-0: Seguin takes the first faceoff for his line, but loses the offensive zone draw.
Seguin is more comfortable in the middle, but the Bruins shouldn't waste Bergeron's strength on faceoffs. Let him take the draws, then switch on the fly with Seguin.
First Period, 0:57, 0-0: Some early pressure by the Bruins as Marchand finds Steven Kampfer for a shot in the high slot, then Michael Ryder sends a backhander through the crease.
First Period, 0:00, 0-0: This one is under way at the Garden, as the Bruins try to get a win against the only team in the NHL they've never beaten in Boston.
7 p.m.: Ex-Bruin Chuck Kobasew will get the start for Minnesota in his return to Boston, as the Wild will open with their top line of Andrew Brunette, Mikko Koivu and Kobasew. Brett Burns and Nick Schultz on defense and Jose Theodore in goal round out the Minnesota starting lineup.
The Bruins counter with their "energy line" of Brad Marchand, Greg Campbell and Shawn Thornton up front, Dennis Seidenberg and Johnny Boychuk on defense and Tuukka Rask in goal. This will be Campbell's 400th career game in the NHL.
6:45 p.m.: There were no changes to the Bruins lines in the drills in warm-ups. Tyler Seguin did skate in the middle with Patrice Bergeron on the right side. Expect to see both players spending some time at center in this one, though Bergeron will likely handle most of the draws as he's the Bruins' best faceoff man.
Daniel Paille is the healthy scratch for Boston, while Antti Miettinen and Jared Spurgeon are out for Minnesota.
6:30 p.m.: Tuukka Rask and Jose Theodore led their respective clubs out onto the ice for warm-ups.
That will be the goaltending matchup in this one, as Rask makes his third straight start after not playing for seven straight.
6 p.m.: About an hour to go before the Bruins take the ice at the Garden for the first time in two weeks and try to beat the Wild for the first time ever in this building.
With an optional skate this morning, there wasn't a clear indication of who will be in net for this one. Tuukka Rask was the first off the ice, but Tim Thomas was the first to stop practicing and was stretching when Rask headed to the locker room.
The Bruins will be facing a bit of the unknown as they take on a Minnesota team they haven't played since Nov. 25, 2009. It's been exactly two years to the day since the Wild last visited Boston for a 1-0 win on Jan. 6, 2009.
There is one familiar face on the Minnesota roster, as forward Chuck Kobasew makes his first return to Boston since being traded to the Wild in October, 2009.
8 a.m.: The Bruins finally return home after a successful five-game road trip, but they come back to the Garden to face a tough challenge for their first home game of 2011.
The Bruins will host a Minnesota club that has never lost in Boston, going 5-0-0 and outscoring the Bruins 16-5 in its rare visits to the Bay State since joining the league in 2000. Boston hasn't had much success against the Wild no matter where they've played, as the Bruins are just 2-8-0 all time against Minnesota.
Bucking that trend won't be easy, as the Wild come in having gone 6-3-1 over their last 10 games to climb back into the playoff race out West. Minnesota is just two points out of the final playoff spot and would love to get those two points with yet another win in Boston.
The Bruins, meanwhile, will look to build off their impressive road trip, when they claimed eight of a possible 10 points. It wasn't easy though, as all five games were decided by a single goal and three needed to be settled in shootouts.
This one doesn't promise to be easy either, with Minnesota's past history of success in Boston and the Wild's hot play of late, but the Bruins hope to carry over the momentum from their road trip and maybe even put together another decisive win like their last game on Garden ice — a fight-filled, team-bonding 4-1 triumph over Atlanta two days before Christmas.
The puck drops at 7 p.m., so check back here throughout the day for updates on all the action.
