1. Yuck.
There's not much else to say about this one, folks. The Wild fell behind early and allowed four goals in the first period, then three more early in the second to end almost any hopes of a comeback.
The only glimmer of hope came early on when Zach Parise scored to get the Wild to within 2-1. Had Minnesota been able to settle things down in the defensive end, it certainly felt like a game it could climb back into.
Even after one, you got the sense that Minnesota wasn't out of it.
But the Blues came out of the dressing room firing on all cylinders, pushing the lead to four goals just 69 seconds into the second, the quickly followed with two more to put the game out of reach.
The good news? The Wild won't have to wait long to rid their systems of this one; Minnesota and St. Louis will drop the puck on the rematch in less than 24 hours.
2. Zach attack.
After missing seven games because of COVID-19 protocols, Parise has now hit the scoresheet in each of his first two games back, a good sign as the postseason draws closer.
In Wednesday's 8-3 win against the Avalanche, Parise tallied an assist and was a plus-2 in almost 11 minutes of ice time.
His goal on Friday was his fourth of the season and snapped a 14-game goal drought dating back to Feb. 24, and it came in the most Zach Parise way possible.
Video: MIN@STL: Parise cuts the deficit to 2-1 in the 1st
Along with Kyle Rau and Luke Johnson, Parise put in some serious work on the shift, with Rau winning a puck battle along the wall and feeding Carson Soucy at the point. His shot was stopped by goaltender Jordan Binnington, but Parise was there in front to swat home the rebound.
Parise is one of those guys where the goals and points seem to come in bunches, and as he gets further removed from the COVID list, he certainly has the pedigree to make an impact down the stretch.
3. In other news ...
Down in Iowa tonight, Wild draft pick Matt Boldy made his professional debut, and made a big impact.
Before the first period was even complete, Boldy had his first professional goal, finishing off a power-play one-timer to give Iowa a 3-0 lead after one period of action.
In the second, Boldy showed off his passing skills, lobbing a perfect saucer pass over the stick of a defender and right onto the tape of pinching defenseman Calen Addison who beat the goaltender making it 4-1 after two periods.
Boldy's contract with the organization begins this season, so an elevation to the NHL level before the end of the season is not out of the question. Wild GM Bill Guerin said any promotion would be up to Boldy and how quickly he can get up to speed at the AHL level.
Friday's game was certainly a good start.
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