Wild's Jake Middleton: Gets rare goal Saturday

Middleton scored a goal and blocked six shots in Saturday's 5-4 shootout loss to the Kings.

Middleton's goal Saturday was his first of the season. He's added two assists in eight games since he returned from an upper-body injury. The shutdown defenseman is at nine points, 28 shots on net, 51 hits, 52 blocked shots, 44 PIM and a plus-1 rating through 36 appearances this season. Given the depth of the Wild's currently healthy blue line, Middleton is likely to see mostly third-pairing usage for the foreseeable future.