Well, the Sharks have 13 games left (one fewer than the Wild) and now trail in the standings by 15 points. With every game essentially being a four-point swing, Friday's win went a long way towards finishing ahead of San Jose.
Minnesota can really do some damage by finishing off the two-game sweep here on Saturday night.
2. Zach attack.
Look out folks, Wild forward Zach Parise is playing his best hockey of the season, and it couldn't come at a better time.
For a guy that's had as much success as he has in his NHL career, it certainly can't be an easy adjustment for a guy like Parise to playing fewer minutes than he has in years past. But since returning from the COVID-19 protocol list, Parise has been incredibly impactful, looking more and more like the guy who has scored 30-plus goals multiple times over the years.
His goal on Friday was a perfect example.