ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Minnesota Wild center Joel Eriksson Ek practiced with the team on a limited basis on Friday, and coach John Hynes said the two-way stalwart has a chance to return from his lower-body injury for Game 3 of their second-round series in the NHL playoffs against the Colorado Avalanche.
Eriksson Ek skated for the first time since he was hurt on April 30 while sliding into the wall during the last game of Minnesota’s first-round series against Dallas, which he was able to finish. The 6-foot-3, 207-pound Eriksson Ek’s rugged net-front presence and defensive acumen clearly has been missed by the Wild, who gave up 14 goals in losing the first two games of the series to the Avalanche.
“I thought he looked good out there, so that was certainly encouraging,” Hynes said. “We had the plan for him to go out and skate before practice, and then do some stuff in the practice, so we’ll see where it goes from there.”
The 10th-year veteran’s presence on the ice was a lift for the Wild nonetheless.
“Nothing really rattles him. He has a joke where he says, ‘What is tired?’ He doesn’t even know what that word means, so I just love guys like that,” forward Nick Foligno said. “You need those guys. They’re the engines of our team, and obviously we’re thrilled to get him back.”
Another key veteran absent for the Wild, defenseman Jonas Brodin, has yet to start skating because of a lower-body injury he suffered on April 28 in Game 5 of their six-game series win over the Stars. He won’t play in Game 3 against the Avalanche on Saturday, Hynes said.
Right wing Mats Zuccarello didn’t practice because of an illness on Friday but is expected to play on Saturday. Defenseman Zach Bogosian, who missed Game 2 in Denver with a lower-body injury, is a possibility to return on Saturday.
The Avalanche could soon see the return of physical defenseman Josh Manson from an upper-body injury. Manson was banged up in Game 3 of the first round against the Los Angeles Kings and missed the series-clinching Game 4. He also sat out the opening two contests versus the Wild. Fellow defenseman Jack Ahcan didn’t make the trip to Minnesota, a sign that Manson was trending toward playing in Game 3 on Saturday or at the latest returning for Game 4 on Monday.
“We feel good about it,” Colorado coach Jared Bednar said.
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AP Sports Writer Pat Graham in Denver contributed to this report.
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