Spurgeon scores twice as Wild's top defensive pair steps up its game

ST. PAUL -- What a difference a week makes.
Eight days ago, Wild defenseman Jared Spurgeon had no goals and was ensconced in a 26-game goal drought dating back to Minnesota's final game of the regular season last spring.
It was rarified air for Spurgeon, who has been a productive goal scorer in his time with the Wild, reaching double digits in four of the past six seasons entering this one.

The two times during that span he didn't, he finished with nine goals in injury-shortened campaigns.
But there he was, the night of March 16, still without a single goal in his first season as Wild captain.
Despite the unusual start, Wild coach Dean Evason said he remained unconerned.

"He had so many good looks prior to obviously scoring his first goal that we weren't worried about Jared Spurgeon scoring goals," Evason said. "He's creating offense. We knew points were going to come just by the way that he plays the game and how he plays the game. We weren't concerned on that end of it but I'm sure he feels good about it."
Spurgeon has proven his coach prophetic and managed to get his goal-scoring back on track of late, scoring twice in the first period on Wednesday in a 3-2 win against the Anaheim Ducks.
Spurgeon now has three goals on the season, which is a little more like the player the Wild have come to know and depend on over the years.
But it's not just Spurgeon's offensive game that has picked up in recent weeks. His overall play has risen as well, as has that of the pairing of Ryan Suter and Spurgeon, who have picked up the slack with Matt Dumba sidelined the past several games.

"You lose a guy like Dums, it's important for everyone else to step up," Suter said. "I think our group as a whole has played well. It's nice that Spurgy's getting rewarded. We're getting rewarded. It was kind of a grind for us."
Both of Spurgeon's goals on Wednesday came via deflections in front of the Ducks' net, and both came on Suter shots from the point, although the first looked more like a designed pass to Spurgeon's stick blade.
"I really didn't have to do much," Spurgeon said. "Sutes just banked them off my stick and they went in. But as a group, I think every night, there's going to be someone different."
Spurgeon's presence in the slot - an unusual area for a defenseman to be consistently roaming - comes from the team's trust in its defensemen to create offense from the backend.
"We give our defensemen free rein to go, get involved," Evason said. "Doesn't matter who they are. Stay in the play, they can hunt some pucks if they want. It's their responsibility to back each other up and we've talked about it a lot about creating offense from the back end and if he's in there, then stay in there and try to score a goal and fortunately he did a couple."

The move by Spurgeon to leave his patrol at the point and move down low came despite his insistence - jokingly, of course - that his defensive partner disapproves of such moves when done in practice.
"I just went through and they happened to be there," Spurgeon said. "Sutes made great plays and they went in tonight."
Suter was quick to hop in and credit Spurgeon for the timing, however.
"I think that's one good thing with Spurgy, he's always on the attack, always on his toes when he sees an opportunity and he's always going," Suter said. "Smart player and he saw there wasn't a lot of time left in the period, took off and made a good play."

The assist on Spurgeon's second goal was Suter's 600th NHL point, making him the 41st defenseman in League history - and the second with the Suter surname - to reach the milestone.
Ryan's uncle, Gary, finished with 844 points in 1,145 games over a 17-year career with Calgary, Chicago and San Jose.
With half of a truncated season remaining this year and four years remaining on his 13-year contract he signed with the Wild in 2012, Suter was asked if he thought he might one day overtake his uncle.

"That's what someone was saying, congrats on 600 points. I said, 'well my uncle had 800 and some in less games than me.' So congrats to him," Suter said. "But no, probably not. Never know though. Me and Spurgy keep making magic, you never know."
The Wild certainly hopes that magic continues, especially as it navigates what Suter called "the dog days of the season."
"They are the leaders on our hockey club," Evason said. "They clearly have been around the game and have been on our team for a long time and they know what it takes to grind games out and lead. We didn't have the energy and the pace that we normally had but those guys have been real good on the back end."
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