ST. PAUL — Pat Maroon became the latest Minnesota Wild player to hit a career milestone this season when he earned his 300th career point on Freddy Gaudreau's first-period goal in Saturday’s 2-1 shootout win over the Vancouver Canucks inside Xcel Energy Center.
Maroon sent a crisp cross-ice feed to Marcus Foligno from the offensive blue line and Foligno one-timed the pass to Gaudreau, who tipped the puck past Casey DeSmith blocker side to give the Wild a 1-0 lead with 1:55 left in the opening period Saturday afternoon.
"It's awesome," Foligno said of Maroon's milestone. "That's a big milestone for a big guy like that...and (it's) good to be a part of it. I mean, he's been a good player. He's always had a hockey sense and hockey IQ and skill around the net. So, a big guy like that has been a great addition to our team."
Maroon now has 120 goals and 300 points in 757 games between the Ducks, Oilers, Devils, Blues, Lightning and Wild.
The Wild acquired the 35-year-old veteran winger from Tampa Bay this past summer for a seventh-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft. The Lightning retained 20% of Maroon's $1 million salary. At $800,000, the three-time Stanley Cup Champion has been a bargain for the Wild with 12 points in 28 games.
Maroon has been better than expected and has brought a blend of speed, physicality and skill to the Wild's bottom-six. The third line of Foligno, Gaudreau and Maroon has become an asset, and Saturday was the latest example of that as the trio produced the the Wild's lone goal in Saturday’s win.
Head coach John Hynes, in the postgame presser, said the team needs its third line to continue being a factor. That's especially true with the Wild getting closer and closer to a wild card spot.
"They play such a hard game all the time," Hynes said, "and for them to be a difference in the game and scoresheet is something that we're going to need moving forward — and tonight they were certainly a difference in the game."