PITTSBURGH — Niklas Backstrom finally stole a win for the Minnesota Wild on the road, and in the most unlikely of places.

Backstrom made 34 saves and the Wild won an away game for the first time this season, beating the defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins 2-1 on Saturday night.

"Backy was great," said Eric Belanger, who had the winning goal. "You need your goalie like that to steal you a game on the road, and that's what he did for us tonight."

Kyle Brodziak also scored in the first period for the Wild, who avoided being the first NHL team in 17 years to start 0-9 on the road. Including their victory over the New York Rangers on Friday, the Wild won consecutive games for the first time this season.

Minnesota beat the Penguins (11-3), who own the NHL's best record, despite being outshot 35-15. The Wild (5-9) are 3-0 against Eastern Conference opponents.

"We played a simple game, played a great road game in a tough building to play in against a good team," Backstrom said. "We tried to keep it simple and play our game and battle for every puck. We did it for a whole 60 minutes."

Backstrom, a Vezina Trophy finalist last season, limited the Penguins to Pascal Dupuis' first-period goal.

His best work might have come in the third, when Pittsburgh had been at its best. The Penguins had won three of five previous games in which they trailed after two periods — including overcoming a late 3-1 deficit in a shootout victory at Columbus on Friday.

"It's weird how hockey works sometimes," said Penguins captain Sidney Crosby, who had a six-game point streak snapped.