ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Mats Zuccarello knows that if he was younger, he'd have a different reaction to his current six-game point streak (two goals, seven assists). Instead, the 36-year-old, is just happy to be contributing to the Minnesota Wild’s victories, the latest a 7-4 win against the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday.
Zuccarello looks to extend his streak when the Wild (3-2-1) visit the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday (7:30 p.m. ET; Hulu, ESPN+).
“To be honest with you, if I was 22, 23, I would be buzzing out on the town right now,” Zuccarello said after recording a goal and an assist Tuesday. “But I’m too old to worry about that. You want to get as many wins and play solid games, but obviously it’s nice to contribute.”
Zuccarello might not always have been touted for his goal scoring, but his point production and his ability to create pace on offense has always been apparent. The right wing tucked away a career-high 26 goals and 61 points with the New York Rangers in 2015-16. The following two seasons saw 59 points (15 goals, 44 assists) and 53 points (16 goals, 37 assists) respectively.
In 2018-19, following a trade to the Dallas Stars before the trade deadline, Zuccarello was sidelined with a broken arm after blocking a shot. He returned for the Stars in the postseason, finishing with 11 points (four goals, seven assists) in 13 games, an impressive enough showing to earn him a five-year, $30 million contract as a free agent with the Wild on July 1, 2019.
And like a fine wine, Zuccarello appears to be getting better with age. He has 227 points (74 goals, 153 assists) in 261 regular-season games with the Wild, including an NHL career-high 79 points (24 goals, 55 assists) in 2021-22.
Zuccarello signed a two-year, $8.25 million contract extension Sept. 29.
"He's a great player," Willd forward Kirill Kaprizov said earlier this year. "He helps all the time ... and you look at him and you can learn a lot (with) his skill and his process and his style. He's a great guy. He helps not just in hockey but outside hockey. Any questions, he always helps you. ... He's a fun guy."
Wild defenseman Jake Middleton called Zuccarello “the workhorse” of their top line, where he skates on the right side of center Ryan Hartman and opposite Kaprizov. Hartman said “he’s the glue” that keeps the line together.
And while Kaprizov, the 2021 Calder Trophy winner as NHL rookie of the year, receives most of the attention, his chemistry with Zuccarello has benefitted both players and the Wild, when things are going right.
“It’s a line, right? Everybody contributes in their own way,” Wild coach Dean Evason said. “…They're as disappointed when they don't help the team have successes as all of us or you guys (media) or anyone. So, they worked their butts off (Tuesday) and they did look like the line that we've known them to be.”
