1. Feel the power.
If it wasn't clear before, it certainly is after Wednesday's masterful performance against the Coyotes: the Wild power play is scorching hot.
The Wild entered the game having scored nine goals in its previous six games, including four consecutive games with a power-play goal earlier this month.
Since March 10, Minnesota's power play has been one of the three best in the NHL.
Video: ARI@MIN: Zuccarello buries feed from Johansson
On Wednesday, Minnesota connected three more times on the man advantage, getting two power-play goals from Mats Zuccarello and another from Nick Bonino.
That's the second time in the last week Minnesota has had three power-play goals in a game ... it had four in a win against the Avalanche on April 7.
As a result of the victory, the Wild again avoided a third consecutive loss. They are one of just five teams in the NHL to have not reached three-straight defeats at any point this season.
2. No Bones about it.
Bonino is a two-time Stanley Cup champion, so it's no surprise that the veteran forward is playing his best hockey post-trade deadline and as the postseason approaches.
Bonino made a couple of great veteran plays to find the scoresheet on Wednesday, dishing out an assist and scoring a goal in the second period, helping Minnesota break a 1-1 tie, then pushing the lead to two goals late in the frame.
Video: ARI@MIN: Bonino buries deflected feed from Kaprizov
After Coyotes defenseman Jakob Chychrun knotted the game with a power-play goal early in the second, Bonino gave the Wild a lead it wouldn't relinquish when he perfected the POP (pass off the pads) on a tally by Zach Parise 7:28 into the second.
In the final minute of the period, with the Wild on a man advantage of its own, Bonino camped out in front of the net and got the benefit of a good bounce. Kirill Kaprizov wheeled around the cage and tried whipping a pass to the right point, but instead, it bounced off a defenseman's skate and right to Bonino at the top of the crease, where he swept it past goaltender Antti Raanta to make it 3-1.
It wasn't a pass intended for Bonino, but credit him for going to a good place on the ice and having his stick ready.
Video: ARI@MIN: Spurgeon scores in 3rd period
Bonino tripled his pleasure, and tripled the fun by assisting on Jared Spurgeon's third-period marker that made it a 5-1 hockey game.
It hasn't been the most prolific offensive season for Bonino; Wednesday's three-point game was his first multi-point effort in a Wild sweater, but he's exactly the kind of guy to keep your eyes on as the stakes become bigger and bigger down the stretch.
3. Parise makes it easy.
Speaking of veterans, Parise continues to look more and more like the vintage contributor Wild fans have grown accustomed to over the past decade.
After going through a 14-game goal drought, that overlapped a stretch on the COVID-19 protocol list, Parise scored for the second time in the past three games on Wednesday. In the third period, Parise dished out some love, feeding Spurgeon with a pretty pass that the streaking defenseman redirected under the crossbar for his fifth goal of the season.
Video: ARI@MIN: Parise finishes rebound off pad of Raanta
With lines like Greenway, Eriksson Ek and Foligno, as well as Zuccarello, Rask and Kaprizov firmly established in front of him, and a pairing like Fiala and Johansson seemingly finding more chemistry, that has forced Parise into a bottom-six role with Bonino and Nico Sturm.
But don't confuse "lesser role" with "less important role" or "less effective role." On Wednesday, that trio was outstanding in all areas of the ice and Parise had a number of quality, quality shifts where he did so many of the little things right that didn't find the sheet.
Parise has a point in three of four games since returning from the COVID protocol list and is a plus player during that stretch. While his minutes are down a bit, the minutes he is playing have been very effective.
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