In a night where Parise would score his 700th NHL point and Niederreiter snapped his lengthy goalless streak, it was the look on Niederreiter's face that had his teammates howling.
"He looked up to the heavens. It was great," Parise said. "We were all happy for him, the team, the bench. We've all been there. Every scorer's been there. It's a tough time. I'm happy for him that he got it over with, and he can move on."
Niederreiter certainly enjoyed the moment. At first, he wasn't sure the moment had actually happened. Niederreiter crashed the front of the crease and the puck came from Parise, deflecting through Jack Campbell's five-hole.
But the Swiss winger wasn't certain his hex had been exorcised until he saw Parise raise his arms in the air and reach out for his linemate for a big squeeze.
"It was just a relief, waiting, I kind of totally forgot how to score goals so I finally got a way to get a goal in," Niederreiter said. "It definitely felt like a great relief but it also makes it more special when you find a way to win the hockey game."
Did Niederreiter say thanks to Parise for the pretty pass?
"I think he thanked me with his eyes," Parise said with a smile. "You could see the relief. He got some color back in his face. It was great."
Mikko Koivu, who earned the second assist on the goal, said Niederreiter was hooting and hollering all the way to the bench for his fly-by, where every single one of his teammates was there to greet him with a hoot and a holler of their own.