Wild's Charlie Coyle peaks in time for Blues playoff series

Charlie Coyle, after a tough second half, is playing his best hockey at the perfect time.

After scoring two goals and 13 assists during one 32-game stretch, the Wild winger enters the postseason with seven points in his final six games.

It's a good sign, after coach Bruce Boudreau rode Coyle hard. Tired of cajoling him, Boudreau went from good cop to bad cop by dropping Coyle in the lineup, removing him from the power play and publicly criticizing him.

"I don't mind a coach being hard on me," Coyle said. "If he needs something more from me, tell me, so we've had those conversations. That's how it goes, that's how it should be. Just be up front and not sugarcoat things. And that's when you know. So he's been good about that, and it's nice to learn from a guy like him.

"Early on years ago, I was still considered a young guy and you could kind of get away with it. I shouldn't be going through situations where I'm not scoring for awhile."

The Wild is hoping for big things from Coyle, who will play his 35th playoff game Wednesday against the St. Louis Blues but only has two goals and two assists in 16 playoff games the past two years.

He's expected to play on a line with buddy Jason Zucker and recently acquired Martin Hanzal. Zucker and Coyle have displayed chemistry before, while Hanzal has looked good lately alongside Coyle.

"Just getting to know him, getting a few games under our belt together has helped us and we're playing some good hockey now."

There's no doubt Coyle is confident now.

"It's on a positive upswing right now," Boudreau said. "I think he feels better where he is, he's not pressing. And the fact that everybody starts even production-wise, I think, goes a long way in his mind."

Just when the skin around his right eye was starting to change back to its normal hue, Zach Parise took a high stick from teammate Nino Niederreiter during the regular-season finale at Arizona.

He got lucky that it just missed the same eye, and Parise rushed back into the game after receiving stitches on his nose.

It's been a season of bad luck for Parise, who suffered myriad injuries and illnesses (mumps and strep throat three times).

"It's been tough to get any real flow and momentum," Parise said. "Hopefully all that's in the past. I've felt really good lately playing, so hopefully that'll continue."

After a contract dispute since 2014, the Blues got Vladimir Sobotka back last week and immediately inserted him onto their third line.

"When you look at the team we're playing, there's a lot of depth; I think now we're a deeper team," Blues coach Mike Yeo said. "That depth is going to come into play both defensively and offensively. He helps us at both ends of the ice.