With Zach Parise expected to be sidelined indefinitely, the pressure will be on Wild players to pick up the slack offensively.

Two are snakebit wingers Jason Zucker and Charlie Coyle, who ended the season in titanic slumps and look as if they will bookend center Mikko Koivu when the playoffs begin at Dallas on Thursday.

"We just have to treat it like a new season," Coyle said. "It's a new time. Slates are clean. Points are clean. Everyone's in the same boat to start. So treat it as that. But we want to contribute. There's no time to save it for. This is the time. Big players play big when it's big games."

Coyle was the Wild's second-leading goal scorer with 21, but in his final 18 games Coyle scored no goals, had eight assists and registered only 24 shots. In the 18 games before this drought, Coyle scored 11 goals.

It's not only Coyle's offensive output that has slowed. In the final 13 games, he has been credited with only eight hits.

"I feel the playoffs is my type of game and should help me rise to the occasion," he said. "Be better on the walls, physical."

With expectations high after last season scoring 21 goals in 51 games — a 34-goal pace over an 82-game season — Zucker scored 13 goals and had 23 points in 71 games this season. In his past 31 games, Zucker scored two goals, had two assists and was minus-9. He had only 53 shots in that span.

"I've got to find a way to get it done," Zucker said. "But it's nothing to do with statistics. It's all about winning. We need to have as many guys in this room scoring as we can and playing the right way with speed and pace. We need very good games to make sure we're winning. We need every guy in this room to play well to win these games."

Interim coach John Torchetti has found Zucker and Coyle play best when they're on the same line and doesn't want to add to the pressure each player is putting on himself.

"I think they'll do the job for us," Torchetti said.

Seguin improves

Stars No. 1 center Tyler Seguin practiced for a second day in a row Tuesday as he tries to return from a lacerated Achilles' tendon.

"He looked markedly better to me, which is an improvement," coach Lindy Ruff said. "I had a short conversation with him out there, so second day on the ice was better than the first."

Dallas defenseman Alex Goligoski missed Tuesday's practice because of illness.

Etc.

• Ruff doesn't seem to be buying that Torchetti wants to toss the Nino Niederreiter-Erik Haula-Jason Pominville line out against the Stars' top line. "They might have a few surprises, they might be tipping their hand in what they want to do defensively against us," Ruff said. "We might not even see that."

• The Wild will host a viewing party for Game 2 Saturday at Xcel Energy Center. Gate 1 opens at 6 p.m.

• Parise had the seventh-most jersey sales this season on shop.nhl.com. Chicago's Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane went 1-2.

• Bovada has set the Wild at a plus-175 underdog to beat Dallas in the first round. The Stars are a minus-225 favorite.

• Former Wild coach Mike Yeo is expected to be a candidate to replace fired Ottawa Senators coach Dave Cameron.