Staal star? Wild center having season worthy of All-Star berth

ST. PAUL --With the sheer number of injuries the Wild has faced during the first half of the season, it's tough to convey where Minnesota would be without the consistent play of forward Eric Staal.
As it is, the Wild is tied with Colorado and Anaheim for the second and final wild-card spot. Considering Minnesota has been without top-6 forwards like Zach Parise, Mikael Granlund, Nino Niederreiter and Charlie Coyle, as well as defenseman Jared Spurgeon for extended stretches during the first couple of months, a big reason why the Wild is still afloat is because of Staal.

"He's been awesome. He's been the MVP of our team so far," Coyle said. "He's been great for us. We are lucky to have a guy like him with his experience and everything that he brings."

Staal, 33, leads the Wild in both goals (19) and points (37) and is third in assists (18), just two behind team leader Ryan Suter. He's a plus-6 and has scored two short-handed goals while also winning nearly 52 percent of his draws.
He's also tied for second in the NHL in multiple-goal games with five, one behind Anders Lee of the New York Islanders. The Wild is 4-1 in those games, with the only loss being Saturday's defeat in Colorado.
"He comes to play every night," said Wild coach Bruce Boudreau. "You need that No. 1 center and he's filled the gap for us very nicely the last couple years."
In the second season of a three-year contract he signed in the summer of 2016, Staal was considered an All-Star Game snub last year, when he had his best season since the lockout-shortened 2013 campaign.
With All-Star rosters being announced on Wednesday, it'd be an upset if he's not representing the Wild in Tampa at the All-Star Game later this month.
"He'd be my pick. He's been great for us," Coyle said. "An older presence in the locker room with his leadership. He's putting up the points to prove himself. He's been a great player for us. He deserves it."
A four-time All-Star with Carolina -- and MVP of the 2008 game in Atlanta -- Staal hasn't played in an All-Star Game since 2011.
And while he isn't campaigning for a spot there this season, he said he'd love to go and share the experience with his family.
"I've been fortunate to be a part of it in the past. It's a fun weekend," Staal said. "My kids are a little older now where they understand so I'm getting a little bit more pressure from them at home. If it happens that'd be great. If not there's a lot of worthy players that are there. We will see. If that is the case it'd be a fun time."

Busy week gives Wild opportunity

One of Boudreau's favorite quotes is about "making hay while the sun is shining," a metaphor that is certainly true for the Wild this week.
As bye weeks begin around the NHL, Minnesota is one of about half the teams in the Western Conference with a full slate of games.
"It's huge. I think everybody is well aware. We knew what last game took out of us and now the response time with two huge games back to back," Staal said. "The overall picture before our break, we have to realize that this is an important time. We have to take advantage when we're at home and we have an opportunity starting tomorrow."
The top four teams in the Pacific Division -- Vegas, Los Angeles, San Jose and Anaheim -- all begin the week on a bye, as do both Dallas and Colorado, the two teams directly in front of Minnesota in the wild-card hunt.
A good week from the Wild has a chance to not only move it up in the standings, but to force those same teams to have success when Minnesota begins its bye next Monday.
"We've talked about it. This is a big week, it's a big week visually I guess," said Wild goaltender Devan Dubnyk. "You don't want to have to sit there next week and watch teams go past. You want them to be trying to catch up.
"At the end of the day we're in playoff mode now until the end of the season. That's just the situation it is with how jam-packed the Western Conference is. So whether it's a bye week or not every game from here on out is going to be extremely important for us."