Wild's Joel Eriksson Ek believes in himself as he has matched his top-scoring season

The breakout performance Joel Eriksson Ek had last season wasn't a one-off.

His encore has been even more productive, an uptick that reinforces his reputation as a two-way force for the Wild.

"You gotta believe in yourself that you can do it," Eriksson Ek said. "Last year, I got to play a little bit more and build up some confidence and carry that into this season."

In capitalizing on a breakaway in overtime on Thursday to finalize a 3-2 win over the Canucks, Eriksson Ek matched his career high in goals from 2021 by notching No. 19.

That was also his 33rd point, three more than the 25-year-old's previous personal best also set a season ago.

"If I keep creating chances, I believe I can score," Eriksson Ek said. "For me, most of my goals are pretty much right in front of the net. So just try to be there at the right time."

That effectiveness around the crease has been particularly clear on the power play, as more than half (10) of Eriksson Ek's 19 goals have been in that setup. Not only does he lead the Wild in that category, but these contributions come after he converted just once in his past five seasons.

But against Columbus on Saturday at Xcel Energy Center, the plan was to use Eriksson Ek, who has remained a steady shutdown center on the team's top matchup line alongside Jordan Greenway and Marcus Foligno.

"He just plays the exact same way each and every night," coach Dean Evason said. "Plays the game hard, physical, and he has a skill set to finish and score goals and make plays. [He's a] big part of our hockey club."

In the two games since the Wild added muscle by acquiring forward Nic Deslauriers and defenseman Jake Middleton in separate trades, the team outhit both opponents, with Deslauriers racking up a team-high 13 in that span.

"The group that we have now, nobody should be more physical than us," Evason said.

But hits aren't the only indicator of the sandpaper the Wild is seeking from its lineup.

"We just want the group to compete on pucks."

Goalie Marc-Andre Fleury's team debut wasn't the only change the Wild made ahead of facing the Blue Jackets, which was the first half of a back-to-back.

Dmitry Kulikov subbed in for Jon Merrill as the team juggles the eight defensemen on the roster.