UNIONDALE, N.Y. – With the Wild searching for goals, coach Mike Yeo tinkered with his bottom three lines Tuesday night against the New York Islanders but wouldn't divulge them hours earlier.
"We'll wait 'til tonight and let you guys critique them," Yeo joked.
The Star Tribune gives them five stars. Yeo couldn't have scripted it better.
In a 6-0 win that equaled the largest margin of victory in team history, the Wild scored more than three goals for the first time in 13 games and got goals from the first, second and third lines.
There were questions before the game whether Yeo might look to spread the wealth and break up the red-hot Zach Parise-Mikael Granlund-Jason Pominville line, which has combined for 15 goals and 40 points in the past 14 games.
But Yeo said Tuesday morning: "Those guys are going. So I think our first priority is to see if we can keep those guys going but find another mix."
So against the Islanders, Yeo kept second-liners Matt Moulson and Mikko Koivu intact and put Justin Fontaine, recently scratched for five consecutive games, on their right wing. Fontaine had a goal and assist, Koivu three assists and Moulson two goals.
Charlie Coyle moved from right wing to third-line center with Dany Heatley and Nino Niederreiter, and Heatley and Niederreiter set up defenseman Jared Spurgeon for the second goal. Pominville and Parise set up Granlund for the third.