from Michael Russo of the Star Tribune,

Patrick Kane knows it’s coming, but he still gets a chuckle every time Zach Parise skates up to him before a faceoff and says, “What’s up, Darryl?”

“He spilled the beans?” Parise laughed.

Parise’s greeting is an inside joke about the skills coach he shares with Kane. It’s just one of those funny things that link two of the NHL’s best American forwards who, frankly, have little in common yet will clash for a third consecutive year in the postseason starting Friday when the Wild takes on the Chicago Blackhawks at the United Center.

“I could be here all day talking about their differences. I don’t know if they have a whole lot of similarities other than their skill and ability to score goals and make plays,” Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews said about Kane and Parise, the Wild’s top scorer whom Toews knows well because of their similar path to the NHL by way of Shattuck St. Mary’s and the University of North Dakota.

“Kaner’s a little more laid back and goes with the flow. Zach’s the go-getter and task-oriented, the what-can-I-do-next type of guy.”

Off the ice, Parise and Kane have different personalities. On the ice, they have completely different styles.

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