Wild, Parise expect to be better in Game 3

ST. PAUL --The Wild has had something of a rough go of it in its first two games of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. While it held its own in Game 1 against the Winnipeg Jets, it struggled more in Game 2.
But a bright spot in both games was Zach Parise, helping to provide some of the offense while Devan Dubnyk
stood tall
on the back end, both doing their best to keep their team in the game. Parise scored the second Wild goal in Game 1, providing a brief lead for the visitors, and the only Minnesota goal in Game 2.

With 2/3 of Minnesota's goals coming from his stick, Parise is obviously making an impact. But going into Games 3 and 4 in front of a friendly crowd, he knows it hasn't been enough.
"I think our line has to be a lot better, to be honest," Parise said. "I think we have to do a lot more on the offensive side, I mean it's been tough because I feel like we've been starting every shift in the defensive zone.
"I don't judge my game by goals, I think that I have a standard that I need to play up to and I don't feel like I've done that in the first two games. I've got to be a lot better."
One area in which Parise and others around the room acknowledge is an issue is through the neutral zone. With a focus on controlling the puck and surging through the neutral zone in practice on Saturday, it's a key aspect of the game that Minnesota is looking to take charge of at home.
"It's a big reason why we're not getting offensive zone time, we're getting stymied in the neutral zone a lot," Parise said. "So if we can be cleaner through that, get a little more speed through there hopefully it'll back them off a little bit and allow us to get some entries."
With those zone entries will, ideally, come more scoring. And with the scoring, wins.
Parise himself broke a franchise record with his goal on Friday night, scoring his 13th playoff goal and surpassing Marian Gaborik for first all-time. The fact that it came on the power-play also ties Gaborik's record of five postseason power-play goals in a Wild sweater.
But he'd happily trade the personal accomplishment for a team one.
"Trust me, I'd much rather be up 2-0 or even 1-1 in a series," Parise said. "At this point, that [record] doesn't really matter."
What does matter is how the Wild will respond moving forward, refusing to rest on its strong home-ice play this season and using the next two games at Xcel Energy Center to its advantage.
"We still know we're a good hockey team, it hasn't really shown in the first two games but we know that we can and we have to play a lot better."

Update on Dumba

Matt Dumba was the only healthy player missing from practice on Saturday morning. After practice, Wild coach Bruce Boudreau gave an update on the defenseman.
"When you play 30 minutes a game and you're really not used to it, I just told him to stay home," Boudreau said. "He is OK, should be well-rested for tomorrow."
Related:
- Wild looks to answer the bell again in a big spot - Dubnyk a bright spot in first two games of Stanley Cup Playoffs