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New-look Wild are silencing doubters early

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ST PAUL, MN - JANUARY 20: (L-R) Mikael Granlund #64, Zach Parise #11 and Dany Heatley #15 of the Minnesota Wild celebrate a goal by Parise during the first period of the game against the Dallas Stars on January 20, 2013 at Xcel Energy Center in St Paul, Minnesota. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)

The Minnesota Wild entered the season amid high expectations thanks to their off-season acquisitions of Zach Parise and Ryan Suter. They also attracted plenty of skeptics who wondered if they had the depth or chemistry to excel in their first season with their newest superstars.

Nothing has been decided yet, but Minnesota fans have plenty to be happy about after starting the season with a 2-0-0 record.

Suter and Parise have certainly done their part early on. Parise provided the lone goal in Minnesota’s 1-0 victory over the Dallas Stars on Sunday and had a pair of assists in the season opener. Suter is still searching for his first point, but he’s already logged a staggering 50:12 minutes with the Wild.

Still, it would be a gross exaggeration to suggest that they are the sole reason the Wild are off to a hot start. Dany Heatley and Mikko Koivu have found success early with Parise, rookie Mikael Granlund has already netted his first goal, and the Wild’s goaltenders have done their part.

The question now is if they can build off of their early success and how they will handle themselves when they face more highly regarded teams like the St. Louis Blues on Jan. 27. There’s no question that they still have a lot of work ahead of them, but they couldn’t have asked for any more this weekend.