Wild winger Nino Niederreiter's parents were able watch him play only once before returning to Switzerland after their visit, but Niederreiter sure put on a memorable performance when he finally got on the ice.
Nino Niederreiter scores hat trick in Wild's rout of Sabres with parents in attendance
Wild winger Nino Niederreiter's parents were able watch him play only once before returning to Switzerland after their visit, but Niederreiter sure put on a memorable performance when he finally got on the ice.
January 5, 2018 at 5:13AM
The 25-year-old scored his second career hat trick Thursday in a 6-2 blowout of the Sabres at Xcel Energy Center that sealed the team's fourth win in its last five tries.
"It's always great having them around here," Niederreiter said. "It was cool to have a chance to score a hat trick for them. At the end of the day, you always like to play in front of your parents."
This was Niederreiter's first game since sitting out five with a left ankle injury, and he made a smooth transition back into the lineup – converting his third goal only 4 minutes, 2 seconds into the second period.
"They wanted to see more games," said Niederreiter, who enjoyed home-cooked meals from his mom Ruth. "I spent some nice quality time with them, but I'm glad they had a chance to see at least one game."
Keep an eye on Niederreiter in a little over a month.
His dad Rene is back in mid-February.
Here's what else to watch for after the Wild's win over the Sabres.
- The top line was a force Thursday.
Niederreiter, captain Mikko Koivu and Mikael Granlund combined for nine points, with Koivu tallying a season-high three points (goal and two assists) and Granlund recording the first three-assist game of his career.
There's familiarity among the players, but the ease with which the three settled into this game was impressive.
If they can keep up this rhythm, perhaps the Wild finally goes on the lengthy run it's been missing so far this season.
"You gotta work for each other if you have success offensively, and I thought we were able to support one another," Koivu said. "We always had two guys on pucks and that what you need when you create that forecheck."
- All three of Granlund's setups were primary assists.
Asked where Granlund ranks among the playmakers coach Bruce Boudreau has coached, Boudreau said, "He's right up there. There's (Nicklas) Backstrom, (Ryan) Getzlaf and Granlund. Just throw a blanket. They're all tremendous hockey players."
- Boudreau opted to keep the fourth line together amid Niederreiter's return instead of shuffling the unit, and the trio rewarded him for the decision as winger Daniel Winnik's goal was the third supplied by the line in the past two games.
"They're playing good," Boudreau said. "When you're playing good, there's no need to change things up. There were some tweaks that I was looking to make, but then I thought I better keep everything the same."
The Senators’ Leevi Merilainen handed Minnesota its fifth loss in seven games.
