In Fiala and Johansson, Wild hopes it has found another dynamic duo

The Wild's resurgence over the past six weeks has largely been spearheaded by the chemistry that has developed between rookie Kirill Kaprizov and veteran Mats Zuccarello.
With a couple dozen games remaining in this truncated regular season, the Wild is hoping it has found another duo that it can lean on as the race in the West Division heats up down the stretch.
For a second consecutive game, Marcus Johansson and Kevin Fiala appeared to have some good chemistry, a mix that again produced results on the scoreboard in a game against the San Jose Sharks the Wild would lose 4-3 in a shootout on Monday at SAP Center.

Both Fiala and Johansson scored goals in the game, with each earning an assist on each other's tallies.

"We thought that line was real good again," said Wild coach Dean Evason. "It was likely one of Kevin's strongest games in a while. They look and feel very comfortable together, so there's no question [it could help the team]."
One former Wild coach always used to say that it was tough to find entire trios that would form chemistry, and that he liked to keep guys together in duos.
Other than Zuccarello and Kaprizov, Joel Eriksson Ek and Jordan Greenway have been a common pair deployed by Evason this season.
Many others have moved up and down the lineup at various points, and played with several different combinations of linemates.
One of those guys has been Fiala, who Evason admitted last week was having a bit of an inconsistent season. Johansson himself has been a bit inconsistent, but mostly because he's been in and out of the lineup because of injuries.
Evason put those two together last week before Minnesota's three-day layoff, and saw it have success in a 2-0 win versus the St. Louis Blues last Thursday.

"I think we both kind of play a little European style. We like to play with the puck and make plays, and I think I'm getting to go a little bit more here," Johansson said last week after the win against the Blues. "It's been a little tough with missing a lot of games and not playing a lot the last year or so, so it feels good to get back out there and it's so much fun to play with Kevin and [Ryan Hartman] as well. I think it's just getting better and better these last few games."
The break did nothing to slow that momentum on Monday, as Johansson got the Wild on the board 13 minutes into the game after Fiala missed the net on a breakaway.
Fiala returned the favor in the third, with the Wild down by a goal, finishing off a chance moments after Johansson had hit the post with a shot.
"I think we both want the puck," Fiala said. " We both like to pass it, give-and-gos, Harts as well, all three of us, I feel, play good right now. In the O-zone, we get pucks back, when we shoot pucks. It's going well, the chemistry is building off it and we feel great with each other. We just have to keep it going."

Coming off a career year last season, Fiala has found it more difficult to get into a consistent groove offensively, partly because finding consistent linemates has proven difficult.
A playmaker like Zuccarello would seem like a good fit, but he and Kaprizov have been - rightly so - inseparable since Zuccarello's first game of the season on Feb. 16.
Eriksson Ek, Greenway and Marcus Foligno, before his injury, played a bunch together. Even Nick Bjugstad, Nico Sturm and Nick Bonino had played a solid stretch of games on the same line before the break.
Hartman has been up and down the lineup, rotating between wing and center. Zach Parise has been a familiar face on the left wing of Fiala, but he's not on the road trip and has missed the past three games because he's on the COVID-19 protocol list.
Parise's absence opened the door for Johansson to step into that spot, and it sure seems like the Wild might have something.
"I feel like I can play with anybody," Fiala said. "But we found chemistry right from the get-go. He came back and its been great. We find each other, we look for each other and its just been great. But we have to keep going because it can go the other way too and we don't want that.
"We have to stay with it, work hard and continue."
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