Parise scores in fourth straight game for Wild in win against Sharks

SAN JOSE --The Minnesota Wild moved into the first wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Western Conference with a 3-2 win against the San Jose Sharks at SAP Center on Thursday.

"It feels good to be back in there," Wild forward Zach Parise said. "It was a good start to the road trip. I think it's just a product of the way we've been playing lately. I feel like we keep getting better and better."
Parise scored in his fourth straight game and had an assist, Ryan Suter had a goal and an assist, and Alex Stalock made 40 saves for the Wild (34-26-7), who have won six straight road games.
"Anytime you're playing against old friends it's a ton of fun. I love it, it's a test," said Stalock, who played with the Sharks from 2010-16. "To] play against guys you used to practice with so many days, you come up through the American [Hockey] League with, played NHL games with, it's quite a journey. Now, looking from the other side, it's fun."
***[WATCH: [All Wild at Sharks highlights]*
Stefan Noesen and Joe Thornton scored, and Martin Jones made 24 saves for the Sharks (29-34-4), who had a three-game winning streak end.
"It's like time ran out," Sharks coach Bob Boughner said. "I believe if we had five more minutes on the clock we probably would have tied the game up. You've got to push hard at the start of the game to get that first goal that you need."
Suter's eighth goal of the season came on a wrist shot from the left point to give Minnesota a 1-0 lead at 8:34 of the first period.

Noesen tied it 1-1 on the power play with a tap-in at 14:40.
The Wild went up 2-1 at 11:30 of the second period when Alex Galchenyuk picked up a loose puck in the slot and scored on a backhand for his seventh goal.
"It almost felt like playoff hockey a couple games ago," Galchenyuk said. "It's been a lot of fun, a lot of pressure, but as a group we're handling it real well and just enjoying it."

Parise finished a tic-tac-toe passing play with his 25th goal at 14:48 to make it 3-1.
Kevin Fiala had an assist to extend his point streak to six games (five goals, seven assists). His multipoint streak ended at five, one short of becoming the first player to accomplish it since Joe Sakic from Oct. 9-22, 1997.
Thornton scored his sixth goal after a scramble in front at 9:08 of the third period for the 3-2 final.
"I don't think we gave up a whole lot," Boughner said. "They capitalized on a couple of their chances. We got away from how we played the last three games, especially in the other end. We got a little picky with our shots, we got a little fancier than what we were doing in our earlier games."

They said it

"We made it through OK after the start we did not want. We had changes that took place this summer, question marks, new faces. Now we found the recipe that's working, and I like what we're doing." -- Wild goalie Alex Stalock
"The fans who were here were loud, they were into the game and energized. That's really all you ask. It's hard to sell out a building when you're having a down year, and that's what we have." -- Sharks forward Logan Couture on the smallest attendance of the season (14,517)

Need to know

Stalock made 19 saves in the third period. He is 9-2-1 in his past 12 games. … Minnesota center Eric Staal missed the game due to a death in the family. … Fiala has 24 points (12 goals, 12 assists) in his past 16 games. … The Wild have won six straight road games for the fourth time in their history (12-0-0 in 2014-15, 7-0-0 in 2016-17, 7-0-0 in 2011-12). … Minnesota is 7-3-0 under coach Dean Evason, who replaced the fired Bruce Boudreau on Feb. 14. … San Jose forward Evander Kane had a three-game multipoint streak end (three goals, three assists).

What's Next

Wild: At the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday (4 p.m. ET; FS-W, FS-N, NHL.TV)
Sharks:Host the Ottawa Senators on Saturday (7 p.m. ET; SN1, CITY, NBCSCA, NHL.TV)