Middleton scored a goal in Minnesota's 5-1 victory over Seattle on Monday.
Middleton snapped his 46-game goal-scoring slump. The 27-year-old isn't a major offensive contributor with three goals and 15 points in 71 outings this season. Middleton did set the tone Monday though, by opening the scoring late in the first period.
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Wild's Jacob Middleton: Returning Sunday
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Middleton (illness) will return to the lineup Sunday against the Capitals, per Dane Mizutani of the St. Paul Pioneer Press.
Middleton has missed Minneosta's last two contests with an illness. He'll return to a top-paring role alongside Jared Spurgeon. The 27-year-old Middleton has a career high of 13 points (two goals, 11 assists) and a plus-14 rating through 66 games this season.
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Wild's Jacob Middleton: Not playing Saturday
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Middleton (illness) will not play Saturday versus Boston, Joe Smith of The Athletic reports.
Middleton will miss his second straight game Saturday but could return Sunday versus Washington.The 27-year-old blueliner has two goals, 11 assists, 68 PIM. 95 hits and 124 blocked shots in 66 games.
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Wild's Jacob Middleton: Out Wednesday
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Middleton (illness) won't be in the lineup for Wednesday's game against St. Louis, per Joe Smith of The Athletic.
Middleton has been doing well recently, with three assists and a plus-6 rating over his last three outings. He has two goals and 13 points in 66 contests in 2022-23. With Middleton not playing Wednesday, Calen Addison will dress for the first time since March 2.
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Wild's Jacob Middleton: Logs assist and fight Sunday
Rotowire
Middleton posted an assist, five PIM and a plus-2 rating in Sunday's 5-4 overtime loss to the Coyotes.
Middleton got the assist early, setting up a Mats Zuccarello tally in the first period. In the third, Middleton dropped the gloves with Coyotes winger Lawson Crouse in the fourth fight of the contest. Over his last three games, Middleton has three helpers, but the 27-year-old typically won't produce at such a noticeable rate. He's at 13 points (one shy of his career high) with 124 blocked shots, 95 hits, 71 shots on net, 68 PIM and a plus-14 rating through 66 appearances this season.
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Wild's Jacob Middleton: Dishes two helpers in win
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Middleton posted two assists and a plus-3 rating in Wednesday's 4-2 win over the Jets.
Middleton was strong on both ends in this one, rounding out his line with two blocked shots and two hits. He snapped a six-game point drought with his first multi-point effort of the season, and the stay-at-home defenseman's up to a career-best 12 points this season.
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Wild's Jacob Middleton: Snaps slump with helper
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Middleton notched an assist and went plus-2 in Tuesday's 2-1 win over the Kings.
Middleton snapped an eight-game point drought with his first helper in February. The 27-year-old defenseman isn't expected to contribute much offense -- he's a physical presence first and foremost. For the season, he has nine points, 53 shots on goal, 84 hits, 103 blocked shots, 61 PIM and a plus-4 rating through 56 appearances.
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Wild's Jacob Middleton: Expected to be available Thursday
Rotowire
Middleton (illness) is expected to be available for Thursday's game against Dallas, Michael Russo of The Athletic reports.
Middleton missed Tuesday's contest against Winnipeg because of the illness. Minnesota bought up Andrej Sustr on Tuesday to serve as an extra defenseman, but the Wild reassigned him Wednesday. Middleton has two goals and six points in 33 contests this season.
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Wild's Jacob Middleton: Out with illness
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Middleton will sit out Tuesday's game against Winnipeg with a non-COVID illness, Michael Russo of The Athletic reports.
Middleton did not make the trip with the Wild to Winnipeg for Tuesday's game. As a result, Minnesota brought up Andrej Sustr from AHL Iowa to serve as an extra. Alex Goligoski is projected to play alongside Jared Spurgeon on Tuesday.
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Wild's Jacob Middleton: On 13-game point drought
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Middleton hasn't recorded a point in his last 13 games.
Middleton had a goal and four points in his first six contests this season, but his offensive production has completely dried up since. The 26-year-old defenseman has never been a significant offensive contributor in the NHL, so it's not surprising that he couldn't build off that hot start. He has made his mark in other ways though, recording 29 PIM, 35 blocks and 30 hits in 19 contests in 2022-23.
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Wild's Jacob Middleton: Contributing early
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Middleton is off to a solid start offensively this season with a goal and three points over four games.
That's quite an uptick given that Middleton recorded just 14 points in 66 games in 2021-22. This strong run isn't expected to last, though. He's not a major offensive force but provides value in other ways. The 26-year-old already has eight blocks and four hits, which are both categories he's expected to make significant contributions to throughout the season.
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Wild's Jacob Middleton: Staying in Minnesota
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Middleton signed a three-year contract worth $7.35 million with the Wild on Wednesday, Darren Dreger of TSN reports.
Middleton will officially stay with the Wild after he was brought in from the Sharks at the trade deadline in March. The physical defenseman had five points, 29 hits and 35 blocked shots in 21 regular-season contests with the Wild and added one assist in six playoff games. The 26-year-old will likely slot into a top-four role as a defensive presence in 2022-23.
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Wild's Jacob Middleton: Contributes on both ends in win
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Middleton had two assists, five blocked shots and a plus-3 rating in Sunday's 6-3 win over the Kings.
Middleton was a two-way force in this one. He has a goal and two assists over the past two games, which qualifies as a major offensive outburst for a guy who came in with just one point over his previous 26 games. The offense is likely unsustainable, but Middleton should continue to put his body on the line and provide value for fantasy managers in search of blocked shots.
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Wild's Jacob Middleton: Gets first goal for new team
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Middelton scored a goal on four shots, blocked two shots and went plus-2 in Friday's 4-3 overtime loss to the Blues.
Middleton gave the Wild a 3-1 lead 18 seconds into the third period. It was his first point since he was traded from the Sharks at the deadline. The 26-year-old blueliner has added 17 hits, 17 blocked shots and nine PIM as a physical presence in the Wild's top four. He's at 10 points, 62 shots on net, 106 hits, 105 blocked shots, 78 PIM and a plus-5 rating in 54 contests overall.
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Wild's Jacob Middleton: Bolsters blue line
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Middleton was sent to Minnesota from San Jose on Monday in a swap for Kaapo Kahkonen and a 2022 fifth-round draft pick, Michael Russo of The Athletic reports.
Middleton joins a stacked defensive group that includes the likes of Matt Dumba, Jared Spurgeon and Jonas Brodin. While the 26-year-old Middleton won't offer much in the way of fantasy value given his limited offensive upside, his presence will allow his defensive partner to jump into the play more often.
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Sharks' Jacob Middleton: Earns first career power-play point
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Middleton logged a power-play assist, three shots on goal, three blocked shots and four hits in Thursday's 4-3 overtime win over the Kings.
Middleton saw some power-play time Thursday, which hasn't often been the case this season. He helped out on Nick Bonino's second-period marker. The assist snapped Middleton's 12-game point drought, but he has just nine points through 40 contests overall. The physical defenseman has added 80 hits, 73 blocked shots, 62 PIM and a plus-1 rating while taking on a top-four role for the first time in his career.
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Sharks' Jacob Middleton: Returning Thursday
Rotowire
Middleton (illness) is expected to play Thursday versus the Kings, Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now reports.
Middleton didn't end up missing any time with the illness. He's been held off the scoresheet in 12 straight appearances. Middleton will play in a top-pairing role alongside Brent Burns, but the former can be expected to fill a mostly defensive role.
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Sharks' Jacob Middleton: Game-time call Thursday
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Middleton (illness) was ruled a game-time decision for Thursday's contest against Los Angeles, per Curtis Pashelka of The San Jose Mercury News.
Middleton has averaged 20:36 of ice time and been held pointless over the last 10 games. If the 26-year-old is ruled out it will mark his 18th absence of the season. Ryan Merkley is likely to see expanded minutes if Middleton is withheld from playing Thursday.
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Sharks' Jacob Middleton: Struggling with illness
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Middleton was ruled day-to-day with an illness Tuesday, Corey Masisak of The Athletic reports.
Middleton has averaged 20:36 of ice time and been held without a point over his last 10 games. He is currently mired in a 12-game point drought. The 26-year-old will look to be cleared of his illness by Thursday's tilt versus the Kings.
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Sharks' Jacob Middleton: Playing against Bolts
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Middleton (upper body) will be in action versus Tampa Bay on Tuesday, Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now reports.
Middleton was last on the ice for the Sharks on Jan. 4 versus Detroit. Prior to getting hurt, the defenseman had notched four points in his previous three contests, though that should probably be considered an outlier instead of a sign of things to come. Even playing in the minors last year, the 2014 seventh-round pick managed just seven points in 22 outings.
