Neal: Diminutive Minnesota Wild center Marco Rossi is easy to root for

Marco Rossi is participating in the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time. His first game will be remembered for be being the one that got him dropped to the fourth line.

He had one shot in 12 minutes of ice time in that game.

“You know, it’s playoffs,” Rossi said. “I can’t care less about anything. You know you want to win as a team, and doesn’t matter where a coach puts me, you want to be the best out there and try to have the team to win.”

His words, on Thursday, were backed up by his deeds in the third postseason game of his career.

Playing between Yakov Trenin and Justin Brazeau, Rossi was part of a line was the embodiment of a team looking to feast off the forecheck in this series. Rossi came through with a goal on four shots, an assist and a hit in 10 minutes of ice time during the Wild’s 5-2 victory over Vegas at Xcel Energy Center.

The Wild have turned this series on its head against the heavily favored Golden Knights and lead 2-1. Brazeau had eight hits and Trenin added one.

The forecheck led to Rossi’s goal that gave the Wild a 2-0 lead in the first period. Vegas goaltender Adin Hill, with the puck behind the net, attempted a wall pass it to Brayden McNabb but it got past him. Brazeau claimed it and passed to Trenin, who was behind the net. Rossi spotted his chance in front of goal.

“We’ve been talking about that,” Rossi said. “Like the high slot area might be there. And, like I said, great pass.”

Rossi one-timed Trenin’s feed, with the shot deflecting off the stick of Vegas defenseman Shea Theodore — on the wrong end of a few plays in this series — then past Hill.

Rossi, 23, is easy to root for. His battle with myocarditis during COVID is well known. He’s not big, listed at 5-9 and 182 pounds. But he’s a presence in front of the net. Rossi hunts in the hard-to-get-to places for goals as if he’s 6-2. Once healthy, he has improved every year, as his 60 points this season are a career best.

The center has every right to be ticked off about his situation. A restricted free agent after the season, he has a right to wonder about his future. Here’s an argument for him:

With Kirill Kaprizov and Joel Eriksson Ek missing considerable time because of injuries, Rossi ended up second on the team in scoring behind Matt Boldy with 24 goals and 36 assists. He played a bunch of games on the top line as the Wild battled fiercely to remain in playoff contention while their stars recovered. And he’s played in all 82 games in each of the past two seasons.

Rossi had a hand in the Wild’s survival. It wasn’t pretty, but Rossi and the Wild learned how to grind through it. That will serve them well in the postseason.

Coaches will go with their gut when making decisions, or it can be a meritocracy. The way Ryan Hartman played in Game 1 earned him a spot on the third line while Rossi was dropped.

That didn’t change Wild coach John Hynes’ belief that Rossi could have a good series.

“Just because you move a player around doesn’t mean you don’t believe in them,” Hynes said. “Or you don’t think these are good players.”

Pushing the Wild to the next round of the playoffs means more to Rossi than fretting about how he is being utilized.

“I mean, it’s hockey, you know,” he said. “Like it’s always team first. It’s not like tennis or like a single sport, and then it can be a worry. But, you know, you want to have team to success, and you do anything. Obviously, as a player, you want to do more and help the team. But, yeah, it’s coach’s decision. Keep going.

“Hynes, he’s always gonna rotate quick if something happens. So I always stay positive and not just play my game.”

Hynes’ moves have worked, and the Wild have an edge in the series heading into Saturday’s Game 4 at Xcel Energy Center.

The Wild entered the series as the seventh seed in the Western Conference. When healthy, they are better than that. A raucous crowd on Thursday watched a flashback to the opening months of the season when the Wild played some of the best hockey in the league.

And Rossi, who is in the right headspace, has contributed to it. Whether it’s from the top line or the fourth line.