Wild winger Zach Parise would love to fling pucks into the net as he's cruising into the offensive zone, a skill he still works on in his 14th NHL season.
But Parise knows he's at his best the closer he is to the crease.
And because he continued to report there for duty even after an injury-plagued 2017-18, Parise has had a tremendous start to this season with three goals and a team-high 11 points through nine games.
"You always try to expand your game and become a better player in different areas and work on weaknesses," Parise said. "Just throughout my whole life and career, that's kind of where I've had my success — around the net. That's just me. I know that's what I gotta do. I gotta get to the net.
"At the same time, it's not about just standing at the net. It's being smart about it."
The 34-year-old secured the Wild's first goal of the season Oct. 4 against the Avalanche off a redirect in the blue paint. On Saturday, he tapped in a loose puck as the screen in front in the 5-4 overtime victory over the Lightning. And even his empty-netter the night before in Dallas came as he accompanied a carom toward the yawning cage.
This was the type of impact Parise flashed last season when he returned for the second half following back surgery in October. Although a fractured sternum knocked him out of the playoffs, he's had no problem picking up where he left off.
"It was kind of just a continuation of how I was feeling at the end of the season last year," he said. "I was able to work on a lot of things this summer that I hadn't really been able to prior. It's early; the points [are] rewarding, but I'm more excited just how I'm feeling physically and how I'm skating and moving. It feels way better. I feel like I can get on the puck quicker and win a battle once in a while. It's nice."
