Praise for the Wild's depth isn't just talk.
The team walks the walk, too.
From backup goalie Kaapo Kahkonen's 5-0-1 run since starter Cam Talbot went down with injury to the sixth different forward duo utilized in overtime delivering the game-winning play on Saturday in a 4-3 comeback over the Blackhawks at Xcel Energy Center, the results have reinforced the rhetoric.
"We have so many good players stepping up on any given day," winger Mats Zuccarello said.
But what's also true is that the Wild's best players have been its best players, a consistency that has helped the team crawl out from its deepest hole of the season to win five of its past six games ahead of playing host to the Canadiens on Monday.
"Teams don't win unless those guys show up," winger Marcus Foligno said. "They've been doing it all year. I know there's some games here and there maybe you don't see it as much. But for the majority of the season, they've been awesome."
Since bottoming out at the Winter Classic on Jan. 1 at Target Field with a season-worst fifth consecutive loss, the Wild has been on the upswing. The same can be said for the team's top talent.
Actually, Kirill Kaprizov, Kevin Fiala and Zuccarello started their recent rolls before that turning point, but their impact has been especially visible during the turnaround.
"We're in a good flow right now," Zuccarello said.
NHL standings: Conference | Wild Card
In the four games he's played since sitting out Jan. 8 vs. Washington because of an upper-body injury, Kaprizov has three goals and four assists. Two of those finishes came last Monday at Colorado when Kaprizov scored twice in the third period in a clutch performance that helped the Wild snag a point in a 4-3 shootout loss.
Before his injury, Kaprizov had a goal in four consecutive games and overall boasts a whopping 15 points over his past eight appearances.
Although Kaprizov didn't capitalize through the first two periods Saturday, with coach Dean Evason sensing frustration from the winger, Kaprizov tied the score at 2-2 near the midway point of the third period on the power play.
"He's just going to keep working, and he worked himself through it and obviously Zuccy made a great pass," Evason said of Kaprizov, who was named to his first NHL All-Star Game earlier this month.
Since Chicago regained the lead only 1 minute, 18 seconds after Kaprizov scored, the Wild needed another equalizer.
Cue Fiala.
With 2:04 left in the third and the team in a 6-on-5 setup, Fiala buried a rebound in front to extend his season-high point streak to eight games with his sixth goal during that span. The longest run of his career is nine games, which he accomplished in 2017-18 with the Predators.
That eight-game streak, however, isn't the only one on the Wild.
Zuccarello is on the same tear, which is the best of his career. He has 14 points in that stretch and after picking up two assists on Saturday, he tied Kaprizov's franchise record for fewest games (31) to 25 helpers. The winger also became only the fifth different player in Wild history to record multiple points in at least four consecutive games.
"I have good players around me," Zuccarello said. "We are a really good team and when the team plays well, I think everyone plays well. You feed off of that."
Even with three of its most skilled players cruising, others are also producing.
Foligno's overtime goal was the third time he's scored in his past six games, and center Ryan Hartman is on a point-per-game pace over his past 10.
Balance like that makes the Wild tough to defend, but the team clearly maximizes its strengths when its offensive leaders live up to their billing.
"We really like to contribute, to score goals and win games for us," Zuccarello said. "It gives you a little confidence when that happens."
