Wild forward Marcus Foligno has scored somewhere between seven and 13 goals each of his last seven NHL seasons, making his output in that category reliable though hardly spectacular.

This year? The powerful wing already has seven goals in just 21 games played, putting him on a path to set a career high even in this shortened 56-game season.

On Wednesday's Daily Delivery podcast, Foligno talked about his sudden increase in scoring and how he teases rookie sensation Kirill Kaprizov (six goals) that he's still leading him in that important category.

Foligno also talked about how the team navigated some drama last week when Zach Parise was a healthy scratch for the first time in his Wild career.

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There's plenty more on the podcast, as well as excellent (as usual) insights from beat writer Sarah McLellan about the Wild as well. But here are a few highlights from Foligno's appearance:

*On his increased goal scoring this season: "Sometimes you get bounces in a year. I feel like this year things are working, things are going in. I've been having some chemistry with some linemates from last year that have trickled over into this year now. Just maybe shooting a little more and when I get that shot it's been going in. I like to think it's from the simplicity in my game and the work ethic. It's been nice to be rewarded. ... I remind (Kaprizov) every day until he passes me that I have more goals than him."

On last week's one-game benching of Parise: "It's always a tough decision. Zach has been such a big face for this franchise and a big player for us. Obviously it's been a frustrating year for himself when it comes to production, but one thing about Zach is that his work ethic is always there and it rubs off on other guys. It's something that when I came to Minnesota I learned a lot from that. ... It just came from a situation where coaches wanted to keep guys accountable and keep a room at a certain level. Whether you understand it or agree with it or not, it is what it is. It can happen to Zach, it can happen to a young guy, it can happen to anyone. I think that's the message that is sent. Does it keep you on your toes as a player in general? I think so. We just moved on as a team after that. I think that was the biggest thing. Leaders led after that, and when Zach got back in the lineup the next game it was back to work and we had a big win in Phoenix that day when he got back. These things happen, and it's all about how you respond. Zach is the type of person who responds really well."

On coach Dean Evason's strengths: "His communication is probably one of the best I've seen. The way he talks to guys and gets to guys. Just his energy level is something that sparks guys and sparks our team. There have been videos of him on the bench when we score and it looks like he tackles every player, trainer and (member of) the coaching staff on the bench. No one is really safe. It's just that he has a lot of passion coming to the rink every day and it rubs off on all of us. And when it comes to actual coaching, the systems and all that stuff, it's detailed and broken down. He doesn't hammer us with all this info and video and tire us out that way. He knows how to read the room. ... You have to know when to push guys and when to hold off."

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