Steel scored a goal on three shots, added an assist, went plus-2 and logged three hits in Monday's 3-2 double-overtime win over the Stars.
Steel tied the game at 2-2 at 14:25 of the second period, then he set up Ryan Hartman nearly three full periods later. The 25-year-old Steel missed the regular-season finale with an illness, but it appears he's ready to fill in as the third-line center as long as Joel Eriksson Ek (lower body) is out. Steel was effective in a variety of roles with 28 points in 65 contests during the regular season, though he could be scratched if the Wild are ever at full health in the playoffs.
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Wild's Sam Steel: Practicing Saturday
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Steel (illness) is practicing Saturday, Joe Smith of The Athletic reports.
Steel was unable to complete Tuesday's tilt versus the Jets and sat out Thursday in Nashville. He will be ready to go for Game 1 versus Dallas on Monday. Steel had 10 goals and 28 points in 65 games this season, setting career highs in both categories. He was practicing on the third line with Marcus Foligno and Gustav Nyquist.
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Wild's Sam Steel: Not available Thursday
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Steel (illness) won't play Thursday in Nashville, Michael Russo of The Athletic reports.
Steel was unable to complete Tuesday's game against the Jets, but is starting to feel better. The Wild will not use him Thursday as they want him to be 100 percent for the playoffs and don't want him to regress. Steel has 10 goals and 28 points in 65 games this season, his best campaign thus far in his five-year NHL career.
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Wild's Sam Steel: Departs with illness
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Steel (illness) didn't finish Tuesday's game versus the Jets, Jessi Pierce of NHL.com reports.
Steel logged just 4:25 of ice time Tuesday prior to his exit. Considering it's an illness, there's a chance he won't be out too long, though the Wild may opt to give him plenty of time to recover by keeping him out for Thursday's game in Nashville.
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Wild's Sam Steel: Earns two points Saturday
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Steel scored a shorthanded goal, added an assist and went plus-3 in Saturday's 5-3 win over the Blues.
Steel put the Wild ahead at 11:37 of the first period with his first shorthanded goal since the 2018-19 campaign. He also assisted on a Jared Spurgeon tally in the second. Steel is up to 10 goals, 18 helpers, 84 shots on net and a plus-12 rating through 63 contests in a career year. With Joel Eriksson Ek (lower body) week-to-week, Steel should have a chance to play regularly leading into the playoffs.
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Wild's Sam Steel: Scores in return to lineup
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Steel scored a goal in Wednesday's 4-2 win over the Avalanche.
Steel had been a healthy scratch for the last four games, and he was limited to three helpers over his previous six appearances. He gave the Wild a 2-1 lead with his first-period tally Wednesday. The 25-year-old has slipped out of an everyday role, but he's still had a career year with nine goals, 17 helpers, 79 shots on net and a plus-10 rating through 60 contests. It's unclear if Steel will stick in the lineup once Brandon Duhaime (illness) is ready to return.
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Wild's Sam Steel: Contributes pair of helpers
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Steel logged two assists, three shots on goal and a plus-2 rating in Wednesday's 8-5 win over the Blues.
Steel helped out on goals by Oskar Sundqvist and Alex Goligoski in the second period. With Kirill Kaprizov (lower body) out, Steel is seeing regular time in the lineup for the first time since early February. The 25-year-old has a career-high 25 points with 76 shots on net, 39 hits and a plus-11 rating through 57 outings this season.
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Wild's Sam Steel: Rejoins lineup, picks up assist
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Steel notched an assist, two shots on goal, three hits and a plus-2 rating in Saturday's 3-0 win over the Flames.
Steel had been scratched for nine of the Wild's last 10 games, and he had an 11-game point drought before that. He looked steady in a third-line role Saturday, earning a helper on a Marcus Foligno tally. The 25-year-old's spot in the lineup still can't be considered safe with Oskar Sundqvist awaiting his Wild debut following a deadline-day deal with the Red Wings. Steel has eight goals, 15 assists, 72 shots on net, 36 hits and a plus-8 rating through 54 outings this season.
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Wild's Sam Steel: Posts helper in win
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Steel logged an assist and two hits in Saturday's 2-1 win over the Coyotes.
Steel continues to be a regular contributor on offense -- he has two goals and seven helpers over his last nine games. He helped out on a Frederick Gaudreau tally in the second period Saturday. Steel has matched his career high with 22 points (eight goals, 14 assists) through just 42 contests. It took him 65 games to reach the same level of offense in 2019-20. The top-line center has added 57 shots on net, 26 hits and a plus-13 rating this season.
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Wild's Sam Steel: Grabs two helpers
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Steel picked up a pair of assists in Tuesday's 4-3 loss to the Rangers.
Steel set up Kirill Kaprizov's goal in the first period before recording his second primary assist on Mats Zuccarello's tally in the third. Steel has been productive as a playmaker recently, with 12 points (11 assists) in his last 12 contests. The 24-year-old center should garner attention for fantasy purposes while centering Kaprizov and Zuccarello on Minnesota's top line. Steel has seven goals and 13 assists through 40 games this year, leaving him two points shy of his career high.
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Wild's Sam Steel: Scores against Tampa Bay
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Steel scored a goal in Minnesota's 5-1 win against the Lightning on Wednesday.
Steel's marker came at 15:35 of the second period and put the Wild up 4-1. It was his seventh goal and 17th point in 37 games this season. Steel has a goal and four points in his last four contests.
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Wild's Sam Steel: Gets two helpers Tuesday
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Steel registered two assists in a 4-1 victory over the Jets on Tuesday.
Steel's first assist was recorded during a Minnesota power play. The 24-year-old has six goals and 15 points in 34 games this season, including two with the man advantage. Although he's averaged just 0:37 of power play ice time this season, that jumped to 1:29 in five games from Dec. 14-22, and he logged 0:53 on Tuesday. His increased role on the man advantage might boost Steel's scoring pace.
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Wild's Sam Steel: Two helpers against Sens
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Steel collected two assists in Sunday's 4-2 win over Ottawa.
Minnesota's top unit of Steel, Kirill Kaprizov and Mats Zuccarello piled up seven points in total, with Steel assisting on goals by each by his linemates. The 24-year-old hasn't been quite as productive lately as the two bigger names he's skating with, but Steel still has a goal and six points over the last five games.
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Wild's Sam Steel: Contributes two helpers vs. Chicago
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Steel registered two assists in Friday's 4-1 win against Chicago.
Steel has six goals and 11 points in 30 contests this season. He entered the game averaging just 13:27 of ice time, but that's jumped to 17:03 from Nov. 19-Dec. 14, and he logged 16:35 vs. the Blackhawks. As long as Steel maintains his expanded role, he'll be worth keeping an eye on.
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Wild's Sam Steel: Nets goal in win
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Steel scored a goal on four shots and added two PIM in Saturday's 3-0 win over the Canucks.
Steel tallied in the third period for the Wild's final goal of the game. Since Nov. 19, the 24-year-old has centered the Wild's top line, picking up four goals and a helper in 10 contests in that span. He's at just eight points in 27 outings overall -- his top-line usage has been a boost, but it's still likely too little to truly make an impact in most fantasy formats, especially with a relative lack of non-scoring production.
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Wild's Sam Steel: Makes most of top-line turn
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Steel scored a goal on two shots, added an assist and logged two hits in Saturday's 2-1 overtime win over the Hurricanes.
Steel played a key role in the comeback win. He scored the game-tying goal with 2:37 left in regulation, then set up Alex Goligoski for the game-winner in overtime. This was Steel's first multi-point effort of the season, and he saw a season-high 15:56 of ice time in an 11-forward, seven-defensemen lineup. That success may earn him additional time between Kirill Kaprizov and Mats Zuccarello. Steel's upside would be higher there, but he has just five points in 18 contests and no more than 22 points in a single season. He likely won't be the long-term answer on the top line, so he's more of a streaming target for now.
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Wild's Sam Steel: Headed for State of Hockey
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Steel agreed to terms on a one-year, $825,000 contract with the Wild on Tuesday.
Steel has scored six goals in each of his first four NHL campaigns while reaching the 20-point threshold twice. If he can be a full 82-game player - he logged just 68 contests last season with Anaheim - the 24-year-old center could challenge for the 30-point mark, though that is likely his ceiling.
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Ducks' Sam Steel: Hands out helper Sunday
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Steel provided an assist and went minus-2 in Sunday's 6-3 loss to the Blues.
Steel helped out on a Max Comtois tally in the first period. The assist snapped a six-game point drought for Steel. The 24-year-old has earned 19 points, 64 shots on net and a minus-17 rating through a career-high 66 contests this season.
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Ducks' Sam Steel: Earns first assist since return
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Steel notched an assist in Wednesday's 4-2 loss to the Flames.
The assist Wednesday was Steel's first point in eight appearances since he missed three games with a face injury. The 24-year-old has struggled to do much on offense while often playing in a bottom-six role. He's at 18 points, 63 shots on net and a minus-10 rating through 59 contests, and he's not guaranteed to stick in the lineup on a regular basis.
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Ducks' Sam Steel: Returning Friday
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Steel (face) was activated from injured reserve and will play Friday against Florida.
Steel missed the last three games after taking a puck to the face. The 24-year-old has 17 points while averaging 12:26 of ice time through 51 games this season. He'll skate in a middle-six role Friday.
