ST. DeShawn Williams Jersey Store . 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. China Jerseys Authentic . I kept my eyes focused up on the camera during each approach. I just tried to stay focused on my form, as I didnt know what the ball reaction was. I was quite emotional at the end. I did not actually see any of the shots in the game until I got home and watched the video. China Jerseys For Sale . Like a magic trick, the puck popped out behind Stalock in the San Jose net. While Sharks coach Todd McLellan decried the legality of the tiebreaking goal, the Los Angeles Kings celebrated their latest, greatest escape yet.ALAMEDA, Calif. -- The Raiders agreed Saturday on a two-year deal to keep free-agent safety Usama Young after an injury-shortened first year in Oakland. Agent Andy Simms said on Twitter that Young will sign the deal to stay in Oakland. The Raiders have not made an announcement because the contract has not yet been signed. Oakland also formally announced that running back Darren McFadden signed his one-year contract to return to the team. Young joined Oakland last season on a one-year deal with expectations to become the starting free safety. But a little more than a month after signing Young, the Raiders signed Charles Woodson to a one-year deal to fill that spot. Young moved into a backup role and played well when he got his chance on defence and special teams. He started once in his 12 games before being placed on injured reserve with a neck injury in December. With Woodson a free agent and uncertain to return to Oakland, Young could get another chance to start this season. The 29-year-old Young had one interception, three passes defenced and 2 1/2 sacks last season with the Raiders, playing about one-quarter of the defensive snaps when healthy. Young spent his first four seasons in New Orleans when Oakland coach Dennis Allen ran the secondary for the Saints. The two won a Super Bowl in New Orleans following the 2009 season. Young then played two years in Cleveland before joining Oakland. He has eight interceptions, five sacks and 25 passes defenced in 2013 career games. Young is the fifth defensive player signed so far in free agency by the Raiders, joining defensive linemen Justin Tuck, LaMarr Woodley and Antonio Smith and cornerback Tarell Brown. While Oakland is a rebuilding process following 11 straight non-winning seasons and two years of being severely hampered by the salary cap, their moves so faar on defence have been mostly short-term fixes. China Jerseys Store. All five players signed are at least 29 years old. But the Raiders had plenty of holes they needed to fill on defence. Starting defensive linemen LaMarr Houston and Vance Walker have already left as free agents, while Pat Sims and Jason Hunter are still on the market. Cornerback Tracy Porter signed with Washington and fellow starter Mike Jenkins and Woodson are still free agents. Bringing back Young will give some stability to a unit that likely will have new starters at all four defensive line spots, as well as both cornerback positions. The Raiders showed signs of progress on defence early last season before wilting late in the year and allowing the second-most points per game (28.3) in franchise history. Oakland has had two of the three highest-scoring seasons allowed in coach Allens first two years with the franchise. McFadden has struggled to stay healthy since being picked fourth overall out of Arkansas in 2008, missing 29 games in six seasons. McFadden had his biggest success in two years with Hue Jackson calling plays, averaging more than 5 yards per carry in 2010 and 11. But he has averaged just 3.3 yards per carry the past two seasons, second-worst in the NFL in that span to the recently retired Rashard Mendenhall. A move from a zone-blocking to a power scheme was supposed to spark McFadden last season but he rushed for just 379 yards and averaged 3.3 yards per carry in 10 games. But he gets a chance return on a one-year deal that guarantees him only $100,000 and could reach a maximum of $4 million. "There is no place Id rather be," he said. "I want to prove to the team that drafted me that I am a top running back in this league, and I really want to help this team win. Im happy to be back in Oakland." ' ' '