The Minnesota Wild have announced that forward Joel Eriksson Ek is out week-to-week with a lower-body injury.
Eriksson Ek suffered the injury after blocking a shot during the second period on Thursday. He left the game and didn’t return. It’s a big blow for the 26-year-old, who has a career-high 38 assists and 61 points in 78 games this season.
Eriksson Ek has 206 points in 421 games over seven years and has become an integral piece of Minnesota’s attack, sitting tied for third in team scoring with Matt Boldy. There’s no specific date for Eriksson’s Ek, but the team has just four games remaining in the regular season.
The news comes as Kirill Kaprizov is set to return to the lineup Saturday evening against the St. Louis Blues. The Russian forward has been out since March 8 with a lower-body injury and only just recently started skating again. Kaprizov, 25, has 74 points in 65 games and is coming off a year that saw him scoring 47 goals and 108 points for one of the best individual performances in franchise history.
The Wild currently sit third in the Central Division, having already locked up a playoff spot. If the playoffs were to start today, they’d face off against the Dallas Stars in what could be a wild opening round. The Wild will host the Blues on Saturday before facing off against the Chicago Blackhawks – a bottom-three team – on Monday. They’ll close the schedule out with games against Winnipeg and Nashville – two teams in must-win situations.
Getting Kaprizov back up to speed before the playoffs will be the team’s No. 1 priority. If Eriksson Ek can join in time for the playoffs, they’ll be one challenging team to beat. For now, it’s all about staying healthy for the stretch run.
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