SAN JOSE, Calif. — Jordan Greenway officially left his slow start behind, scoring twice as the Minnesota Wild beat the San Jose Sharks 5-2 for their eighth straight win.
Kevin Fiala, Joel Eriksson Ek and Kirill Kaprizov also scored for the Wild, who took over the NHL points lead with 39, their most through 26 games in franchise history. The Wild occupies the top spot in the NHL standings for the first time since Dec. 18, 2011
Fiala's goal was his first since Nov. 21, a scoring drought that has seen him generating a plethora of shots but missing chance after chance.
"Kev made a pretty good play at the blue line. Put it on a platter for me. I just had to find a way to beat the goalie," Greenway told nhl.com. "He's got a ton of talent. You can speak volumes of all the things he's done this year, in the past. But he's been playing great. He might not have as many goals as he wants, but he's been contributing and I feel like he's had chances every night. He's been a big part of us having the success that we've had."
Minnesota’s eight-game winning streak is the longest current run in the league and the third-longest in franchise history. The Wild have scored at least four goals in seven consecutive games. Cam Talbot made 33 saves to improve to 15-5, leading NHL goaltenders in wins.
Jonathan Dahlen and Tomas Hertl scored for the Sharks.