Boudreau's off-wing hunch pays off as Parise, Staal spur Wild win

Minnesota Wild head coach Bruce Boudreau cooked up an interesting alteration to his lines before the club's Sunday night tilt against the San Jose Sharks. And it seems the move paid off.

With star winger Zach Parise set to return to the lineup, Boudreau switched things up and slotted the longtime left-winger in on the right side with veteran pivot Eric Staal. The change worked, as Parise and Staal scored all three of Minnesota's goals in the Wild's victory over the Sharks, Parise netting the game-opener, and Staal adding a game-winner and an empty-netter.

As it turns out, Boudreau was gambling on a hunch, moving Parise to Staal's right side because he thinks Staal looks to his right more than his left, according to the Star Tribune's Michael Russo.

"These are just stupid things I think at home," the veteran coach told Russo after the Wild's victory.

Needless to say, it was a risky move.

"I've never played right wing in my life," Parise told Russo.

For his linemate Chris Stewart, the transition didn't look quite as seamless. The winger said he and Parise ended up on the same side a few times during the game, Parise understandably reverting back to his usual habits.

And yet, the biggest mix-up didn't come from the position changes but from Stewart himself, when he accidentally popped Parise in the face during a net-front scrum.

All part of the plan, apparently.

"It's chippy at the front of the net, so I just was making sure he was into the game," Stewart told Russo cheekily. "I thought I'd wake him up."

Parise was sidelined for the Wild's last three games while dealing with the mumps, as was teammate Jason Pominville. The latter forward got in on the scoring in his first game back as well, assisting on Parise's first-period goal.

With the win, the Wild returned to the top of the Western Conference with 90 points on the season.