For those paying attention to the Wild this season, it often seems that good things happen when Ryan Hartman finishes on the scoresheet, that when the veteran forward is involved with scoring, with a goal or an assist, Minnesota tends to win.

Well, it’s true. Especially lately.

Hartman has a goal in each of the Wild’s past two games, and four points in their past five games (4-0-1), to help Minnesota stay within arm’s reach of a Western Conference playoff spot with 16 regular-season games remaining.

“It’s always good to score. Obviously, you’re trying to help the team win, and in that aspect you need scoring from around the lineup,” Hartman said after scoring the go-ahead power play goal in a 4-1 victory over Arizona on Tuesday. “It helps this team a lot, and I’m trying to continue to do that.”

Hartman has two goals and 12 points in 17 games since the Wild returned from the all-star break with a 2-1 victory at Chicago on Feb. 7. The Wild are 11-4-2 during that stretch, and 9-2-0 when Hartman registers a goal or assist.

Not coincidentally, Hartman — whose competitive edge has sometimes gotten the better of him this season — also has only four penalty minutes in those 17 games. Before that, he had 38 PIM in 44 games.

“I think he’s got a good competitive balance right now,” coach John Hynes said.

Hartman, 29, signed a three-year contract extension that will pay him $4 million a year starting next season. In 2021-22, he hit career highs with 82 games, 34 goals and 31 assists but was limited by injury to 59 games last season and finished with 15 goals and 22 assists.

In 61 games this season, Hartman has 17 goals and 20 assists, and Hynes — who succeeded Dean Evason on Nov. 28 — said Tuesday the forward is “playing a totally different style of game than he was earlier.”

“I’m really seeing why he’s a valuable player,” the coach continued. “He’s moving his feet. He’s making good plays with the puck, and his shot is a threat. He’s playing faster. He’s competitive on the puck. He’s making good decisions. Those are all the things we were looking for, and I think he was looking to get to, and now you’re starting to see his game get to where it needs to be to be an impact player for us.”

Ready and willing

Marc-Andre Fleury was the starting, and winning, goalie in the Wild’s past two games and, with a day of rest on Wednesday, could be in goal again for Thursday’s game against Anaheim at Xcel Energy Center.

That seems unlikely because Filip Gustavsson is healthy and was terrific in a 2-1 overtime loss at Colorado last Friday. On the other hand, Fleury — who in December became the fourth NHL goalie to play 1,000 games — is 22-5-0 with a 1.89 goals-against average and .931 save percentage in 27 career starts against the Ducks.

Fleury also is 8-2-0 with a 2.11 GAA and a .922 save percentage in 12 games played (10 starts) since Jan. 13.

“I love to play,” he said. “Like I said, I love to battle, compete with those guys. Every game, every night means a lot to get the win. And those games are fun to be a part of. You play for something big. It’s intense. The atmosphere is always goo in the building, too, people are up on their feet when we get goals and stuff. It’s fun to be a part of it.”

In any case, both goaltenders are likely to play big games down the stretch.

“As I’ve continued to say, I think down the stretch here we’re going to need Flower and Gus to be able to play really well,” Hynes said. “I think with Flower right now, the consistency in his game has been very good. I think Gus came in and played a heck of a game against Colorado, so we’ll make the decisions.

“We got a lot of hockey coming down the stretch and as I said, we’re going to need both players to be able to give us very good goaltending down the stretch to continue to make a push.”

Briefly

Center Marat Khusnutdinov appears to be on pace to make his NHL debut against the Ducks on Thursday. The Russian center, a second-round pick in the 2020 entry draft, signed a two-year, two-way entry contract on Feb. 28.

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