Wild dealt hugely disappointing Joel Eriksson Ek Game 4 update

The Minnesota Wild got back into their Western Conference second-round series against the Colorado Avalanche in Game 3, winning 5-1 despite missing a key two-way forward in Joel Eriksson Ek.

They’ll try to send the matchup back to Denver tied at two, but will again be without the Swedish center for Game 4 at Grand Casino Arena on Monday night.

“Eriksson Ek not playing tonight,” reported The Athletic’s Michael Russo shortly after the morning skate. “Just ‘touch and go’ with him right now. Same [Wild] lineup.”

Eriksson Ek was a key factor in Minnesota’s six-game, Round 1 series win over the Dallas Stars. He amassed three goals and five points in the series, averaging a staggering 23:44 of time on ice. He was also a plus-seven in those games.

But he was injured in Game 6 after taking an awkward hit, and has been labelled as day-to-day ever since. Over a week later, he is still not an option for a Wild team that is desperate to send the series back to Colorado on even footing.

The 29-year-old returned to practice last Friday, but was unable to suit up for Game 3 on Saturday night. Although head coach John Hynes was hopeful that he would be able to return for one of the two contests in the State of Hockey, that is not the case.

In his absence, Danila Yurov has been playing on the second line with Matt Boldy and Marcus Johansson, while Ryan Hartman has replaced him on the top powerplay unit.

The victory in Game 3 without Eriksson Ek was critical, and this contest is just as important. Minnesota cannot afford to go down 3-1, especially as the Avs have home-ice advantage in the matchup.

Jesper Wallstedt was excellent on Saturday, making 35 saves on 36 shots. He’ll need to put together another terrific performance if the Wild hope to beat the President’s Trophy winners in back-to-back games, something that hasn’t happened since the middle of March.

It’s been a phenomenal series so far, and Game 4 promises to be no different between the pair of high-flying Central Division rivals. Puck is set to drop from Grand Casino Arena just past 8:00 p.m. ET on Monday night.

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