Minnesota Wild season snapshot

With the NHL pausing the 2019-20 regular season on March 12 due to the concerns surrounding the coronavirus, NHL.com is taking stock of each of the League's 31 teams.

Today, a snapshot of the Minnesota Wild at the pause:

Minnesota Wild

Record: 35-27-7, 77 points

Playoff position: One point behind Nashville Predators and Vancouver Canucks for second wild card into Stanley Cup Playoffs from Western Conference

The Wild do not have a player in the top 50 in points in the NHL, and they are tied for the fifth-oldest roster in the NHL with an average age of 29.1 years, but a gritty, in-your-face style featuring timely offense and quality goaltending have proven to be a recipe for success.

A turning point came Feb. 14, when Dean Evason replaced Bruce Boudreau as coach. The move came at a time when the Wild had won seven of their previous 11 games and were 27-23-7, three points out of a playoff spot in the Western Conference. The hope was Evason would provide a new voice that would resonate with the players.

More Wild season snapshot coverage: Awards | Fantasy honors | Memorable moments

Evason is in his second season with Minnesota after coaching Milwaukee of the American Hockey League the previous six. Since taking over as coach, the Wild are 8-4-0, have the fourth-highest penalty-killing percentage (91.2 percent) in the NHL, and are tied for the third-most goals (43).

The play of goalie Alex Stalock and forwards Kevin Fiala and Zach Parise has been key to Minnesota's turnaround.

Fiala, acquired by the Wild in a trade from the Nashville Predators for forward Mikael Granlund on Feb. 25, 2019, has 14 points (seven goals, seven assists) in the past eight games, has equaled his NHL career-high with 23 goals (2017-18), and has established NHL career highs with 31 assists and 54 points in 64 games.

Parise was the subject of trade rumors prior to the 2020 NHL Trade Deadline, but Minnesota kept the 35-year-old forward, who has nine points (four goals, five assists) in the past seven games. Parise, who has five more seasons remaining on a 13-year contract, leads the Wild with 12 power-play goals and in average ice time among forwards (17:12).

Stalock has emerged as the No. 1 goalie under Evason. He is 11-4-1 with a 2.25 goals-against average, a .920 save percentage and three shutouts in 16 games since Jan. 16. Devan Dubnyk is 4-3-0 with a 3.37 GAA and .887 save percentage in that same span.

Breakout player

Kevin Fiala: The No. 11 pick by the Predators in the 2014 NHL Draft was a game-changer for the Wild before the pause, utilizing his speed and smarts to beat defenders and win puck battles. Since Evason was named coach, Fiala leads Minnesota with 16 points (nine goals, seven points) and has averaged 18:09 of ice time in 12 games. The 23-year-old has 14 multipoint games, and he has a shot attempts percentage at 5-on-5 of 51.4 percent, fourth among Minnesota forwards who have played at least 20 games. Fiala is second on the Wild with nine power-play goals.

Statement win

Wild 5, Columbus Blue Jackets 0, Feb. 28: Stalock made 24 saves, and the Wild shut out the Blue Jackets to silence the cannon at Nationwide Arena for a third straight win and fifth straight on the road, including a 7-1 victory at the Detroit Red Wings one day earlier. Eleven players had at least one point, including Parise, who has a goal and two assists.

Most compelling game

Wild 3, Calgary Flames 0, Dec. 23: Dubnyk made 22 saves in his first start after missing 15 games attending to a medical situation relating to his wife, Jenn. The start for Dubnyk was his first at Xcel Energy Center since Nov. 16. Center Luke Kunin had a goal and an assist for Minnesota, which entered the Christmas break on an 11-4-3 run.