Wild's offensive surge might be powered by evolution of NHL skill level

EDMONTON — Kevin Fiala's stick danced up the ice, shifting from side to side until the blade pulled the puck back just enough to evade the pressure of a sprawled defender.

One flick of the wrist later and Fiala crafted one of his sleekest sequences of the season, his first of two goals in a 7-3 blowout by the Wild on Sunday against the Oilers.

"He's a world-class scorer, for sure," Matt Boldy said.

But Fiala could have an even snazzier skill up his sleeve.

Already three times this season the forward has attempted "The Michigan," a lacrosse-style goal that involves scooping the puck onto the stick and dumping it into the net on a wrap-around. The Wolverines' Mike Legg executed the move in a 1996 NCAA game against the Gophers, hence its name.

"He's top-three most skilled people I think I've ever been on the ice with," Boldy said of Fiala, his linemate. "He's got it all in the bag, and I'm sure he could if he got the chance."

Should Fiala complete the feat — or a display just as impressive — it would be another jaw-dropping performance in a season that's upping the wow factor, a shift that's being led by the NHL's 20-something stars.

"You're just seeing a lot of confidence in these young guys coming up," Marcus Foligno said, "and I think it's great for the league."

Glorious goals

Anaheim's Trevor Zegras is the poster boy for this movement.

He accomplished the Michigan on Jan. 27 at Montreal, deftly picking up the puck and flinging it into the twine in one smooth turn around the net.

But that wasn't even the slickest production by Zegras this season.

On Dec. 7 at Buffalo, he lifted the puck onto his stick blade and then flipped it to the front of the net where teammate Sonny Milano batted in the pass.

"That was pretty confident and really nicely done," said Fiala, who is four tallies away from his third straight 20-goal season.

Still, neither stunner might get crowned Goal of the Year — not since Edmonton's Connor McDavid weaved through four New York Rangers defensemen on Nov. 5 before scoring from his backhand.

"They have a box around him that you should never get out of and yet he gets out of it somehow," Foligno said. "McDavid's probably the best. Most creative is Zegras."

New ideas

That artistry looked different a generation ago.

When Foligno broke into the NHL in 2011-12, the spin-o-rama in the shootout was the trendiest trick. Toronto's Mikhail Grabovski was known for it, and the Wild's Pierre-Marc Bouchard and Tampa Bay's Steven Stamkos had also pulled it off.

"It was not frowned upon," Foligno recalled. "It was just guys didn't really think outside the box."

Now, spin-o-ramas happen in regulation time and as passes; the 20-year-old rookie Boldy, who has 16 points in 16 NHL games, completed one just last week to Fiala at Winnipeg.

Between-the-legs plays are also common.

Kirill Kaprizov, who has a team-high 23 goals, is a practitioner. Joel Eriksson Ek has tried the shot on the power play.

"It was pretty tight on the goalie," he said. "Figured I'd try to do something quick."

And that's the impetus behind these ideas — strategy, not showboating.

"It's not to embarrass," Fiala said. "We don't want to turn hockey into a joke. We try stuff, but it's because we think it's best."

Natural reaction

Fiala and Boldy grew up stickhandling a puck or ball.

They also watched scorers like Sidney Crosby and Patrick Kane, and the game is only becoming more visible with highlights streaming online and going viral on social media.

"You see these kids now throwing a puck in the air, throwing their stick in the air and catching it," Foligno said. "There's a lot of that YouTube sensation stuff that these kids are looking at now. It's good for the game. It's creative. Guys are trying to think outside of the box in order to score goals or be deceptive."

Still, the delivery takes confidence and instinct.

"You have it or you don't have it," Fiala said.

While players may not rehearse the Michigan or Zegras pass, they can repeat the hand-eye coordination it takes to achieve those stunts.

"A lot of times these things happen in the moment," said Kaprizov, who attempted the Michigan Dec. 11 at Los Angeles before the 24-year-old successfully deployed it during the Winter Classic practice at Target Field on New Year's Eve. "I might have been able to practice it off the ice or on the ice or in practice. I'll try to do it and if it works, great. If it doesn't, you kind of move on. But these things happen naturally, quickly. It's not something I practice all the time."

Must-see TV

Whether the puck enters the net in outrageous or routine fashion, the goal counts the same.

But what has increased with the more dramatic finishes is the entertainment value, the must-see moments that transcend the sport.

"They show that kind of stuff on ESPN and get us more coverage," Ryan Hartman said.

And with the likes of Fiala, Boldy and Kaprizov broadcasting their talents, the Wild is amplifying the spotlight.

Although he's 0-for-3 so far, the 25-year-old Fiala believes he could carry out the Michigan in a game.

"For sure it would be possible," he said.

And considering the chemistry between him and Boldy, what about the two teaming up for the Zegras phenomenon?

"We might have to start working on it," Boldy said.

Stay tuned.