Wild’s Joel Eriksson Ek injury update leaves even steeper climb vs. Avalanche

The Minnesota Wild snapped a lengthy playoff streak with a Game 6 victory over the Dallas Stars in the first round, closing out the series and advancing to the second round for the first time since 2015. The Wild and Stars were two of the best teams in the entire NHL this season, so Minnesota will take a ton of confidence coming out of that series.

But things aren’t getting any easier for the Wild in the second round. They will play the Presidents’ Trophy winners, the Colorado Avalanche. The Avs finished with the best record in the NHL during the regular season and will be well-rested after sweeping the Los Angeles Kings in the first round of the playoffs.

To make matters worse, the Wild are coming into this series a little bit beat up after a very physical series with the Stars. Standout center Joel Eriksson Ek is dealing with a lower-body injury and will miss at least the first two games of the series, per Michael Russo of The Athletic.

“Eriksson Ek did not accompany the team to Colorado and won’t play Games 1 and 2 because of a lower-body injury,” Russo wrote. “Hynes called him ‘hopeful’ for Game 3. He said the team was deciding between Danila Yurov and Hunter Haight to replace him in the lineup.”

Without Eriksson Ek in the lineup, the Wild will need more production out of stars like Matt Boldy and Kirill Kaprizov, as well as from Quinn Hughes and its defensemen. Hughes had a monster game in Game 6 against the Stars, with two goals to help the Wild close it out.

On the other side, the Avs’ depth and talent will no doubt benefit from the absence of Eriksson Ek. Nathan MacKinnon, Brock Nelson and Nazem Kadri will all have an advantage in the middle now that Eriksson Ek will not be on the ice for the first few games.

The Wild will be aiming for a split in the first two games in Denver before hopefully getting Eriksson Ek back for Game 3. Game 1 puck drop will be on Sunday night at 9 p.m. EST.

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