Bruce Boudreau couldn't have asked for a much better first season in St. Paul.
The Minnesota Wild bench boss arrived in town on the promise of a new brand of hockey, and then transformed the defensively sound Wild into one of the league's most exciting clubs.
Now in the midst of an impressive 17-1-1 run - while sitting first in the Western Conference with 61 points - there's plenty of excitement in Minnesota after a few stale seasons.
The Wild's lone regulation loss since the start of December came at the hands of the high-flying Columbus Blue Jackets. That match was a clash of the titans, as both clubs entered with double-digit win streaks.
Things are going well for the Wild, whether you're talking about goalie Devan Dubnyk, who leads the entire NHL with an outstanding .940 save percentage, or defenseman Ryan Suter, who continues to be a minutes-eating presence on the blue line, or center Eric Staal, who's apparently found the fountain of youth while enjoying his best season in years.
Related: Staal matches last year's production in 42 fewer games
The winning Wild are no surprise to those who've followed Boudreau's career, as he's been no stranger to success in the regular season. After taking over the Washington Capitals in 2007, Boudreau captured four division banners before repeating that feat with the Anaheim Ducks from 2012-15.
In Minnesota, the Wild have qualified for the playoffs four years in a row, but have not made it past the second round since their third-ever season in 2002-03
This year, Minnesota appears set to make noise in the spring, but the Wild still need more from their most-valuable forward: Zach Parise.
While Boudreau has largely gotten the most out of his players this season, he has a conundrum when it comes to the veteran winger.
With just 20 points, Parise is firing his lowest production since the Minneapolis native first signed with his hometown club. It's certainly a far cry from the 94-point campaign Parise put together with the New Jersey Devils in 2009-10, or the 176 points he notched over two seasons in the Garden State.
| Season | GP | G-A-Pts | Pts/GP |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012-13 | 48 | 18-20-38 | 0.79 |
| 2013-14 | 67 | 29-27-56 | 0.84 |
| 2014-15 | 74 | 33-29-62 | 0.84 |
| 2015-16 | 70 | 25-28-53 | 0.76 |
| 2016-17 | 33 | 8-12-20 | 0.61 |
The Wild gave Parise a massive 13-year, $98-million pact in the summer of 2012. While he was fairly steady through his first four seasons in town, things haven't been so rosy in Year 5.
The 32-year-old has undoubtedly dealt with his share of struggles this season, from spending six games on the sidelines with a lower-body injury to a trio of missed matches due to illness.
Thankfully for Boudreau, Parise's game has turned around as of late, with the winger recording five points during the Wild's three-game road swing against the San Jose Sharks, Los Angeles Kings, and Ducks.
"Those were his best three games of the season," Boudreau told Dane Mizutani of the Twin Cities Pioneer Press. "Those were very important points for him. If we can sustain him, it makes our team an awful lot better."
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