Joel Eriksson Ek is officially day to day due to a lower-body injury, according to Minnesota Wild head coach John Hynes.
That’s a huge relief for the Wild, who can’t afford to lose their finest two-way player as they compete for a wild card position in the Western Conference playoffs. Minnesota is tied with St. Louis for the second wild card spot with 71 points as of Thursday, six points behind Vegas.
Eriksson Ek took a shot from Nick Bjugstad during Minnesota’s 4-1 victory over Arizona on Tuesday. He left the game and did not return, and he will not play Thursday when the Wild host Anaheim. His status for Saturday’s matchup at St. Louis remains unknown.
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— Minny Hockey (@MinnyHockey) March 13, 2024
Without Erikson Ek, Minnesota will debut one of its best prospects, Marat Khusnutdinov. According to sources from Thursday’s morning skate, the Russian rookie will center the third line, with Adam Beckman and Freddy Gaudreau on his wings.
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