The surging Chicago Blackhawks took the Central Division lead last night, but the Minnesota Wild got it right back on Sunday.
In doing so, Minnesota also regained the lead in the Western Conference, so it seems especially fitting that the Wild beat the Pacific-leading San Jose Sharks 3-1 in the process.
It was a tight one, with Devan Dubnyk gaining sole possession of first in the NHL with his 35th win of the season. Dubnyk and Martin Jones played well (there was even a jersey save), while each squad seemed to contain two dangerous offenses. For the most part.
Boudreau said defensively this was maybe their best game of this season, especially in the third period #mnwild
— Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) March 6, 2017
Here’s a quick look at the race for the top spot in the Central, and thus the West:
1. Wild - 90 points in 63 games
2. Blackhawks - 89 points in 65 games
While Minnesota’s margin of error is smaller than they might have expected, they showed tonight that those games in hand could make a difference. And, hey, they got Zach Parise back from that mumps issue ...
Boudreau GOLD: Played Parise at RW bc he thinks Staal looks more to his right than left: "These are just stupid things I think at home"
— Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) March 6, 2017
Gold indeed.