Wild’s top 6 steady without Jared Spurgeon and improved power play: Key takeaways vs. Stars

One year after going 6-1 in the preseason, the Wild closed this one out 5-1 with Saturday’s 4-0 victory over the Dallas Stars. Defensive defensemen Jake Middleton and Jon Merrill scored even-strength goals, Kirill Kaprizov scored on a power play and Marco Rossi added a late goal. Mats Zuccarello and Marcus Foligno assisted on two goals each. Filip Gustavsson made 22 saves for the shutout. The game ended in tense fashion when Pat Maroon took a faceoff so he could fight Jamie Benn, then Mason Marchment had a fight instigated by Brandon Duhaime. During the latter, a fan threw popcorn on…