Minnesota Wild hit with major setback at worst possible moment
Joel Eriksson Ek and John Hynes head into Round 2 with Minnesota already missing one of its hardest matchup forwards.
That is a rough way to open a series against Colorado. Hynes confirmed Eriksson Ek will miss Game 1 and Game 2, with the door still open for a longer absence depending on how this moves.
From the Wild side, this is not just another lineup scratch. Eriksson Ek is one of the players who gives Minnesota its edge down the middle, especially when the game tightens up around the crease and on the penalty kill.
The timing is what makes it sting. Minnesota is coming off a strong first round, but now it gets the Avalanche and their speed without one of the forwards built to handle ugly playoff minutes.
Eriksson Ek also was rolling. He put up 3 goals and 2 assists in 6 playoff games, which is the kind of early-round push that is not easy to replace by just sliding one more winger into the mix.
His regular season matters too. In 70 games, he scored 19 goals and 51 points with a +16 rating, so this is a real top-six loss, not a depth issue dressed up as drama.
Minnesota can still push back, but the margin just got thinner. Colorado swept its first-round series and comes in looking every bit like the team that finished with the league’s best regular-season record.
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Minnesota facing brutal setback at worst possible time
This is where the Wild’s younger pieces get dragged into the spotlight. Reports around the team suggest Danila Yurov or Hunter Haight could be asked to step in, and that is a lot to ask against this opponent right out of the gate.
The pressure shifts straight onto Minnesota’s other drivers. Matt Boldy leads the club with 9 points in 6 playoff games, while Kirill Kaprizov also has 9, so the top of the lineup has to carry even more now.
There is also a style problem here. Eriksson Ek wins draws, works the hard areas, and gives Hynes a center he can trust in tough spots. His playoff faceoff rate sits at 56.4, and those little wins add up in a series like this.
Colorado is the wrong team to give away those details against. Nathan MacKinnon already has 4 points in 4 playoff games, Cale Makar has 2 goals, and the Avalanche do not need much room to tilt a game.
So yes, this is a bad break from the Chicago point of view too, because it is exactly the kind of injury that reminds rebuilding Central teams how hard it is to deal with real contenders when the playoffs start.
For Minnesota, the message is simpler. If Joel Eriksson Ek cannot go early, the Wild need their skill guys to stay hot and their bottom six to survive, or this series could get away fast.
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MAY 3, 2026
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| G | A | PTS | ||
| Kaiden Guhle | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Martin Necas | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Jack Drury | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Dominic James | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Artturi Lehkonen | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Sam Malinski | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Alex Newhook | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Nick Suzuki | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Josh Anderson | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Charles-Edouard D'Astous | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Gage Goncalves | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Lane Hutson | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Nathan MacKinnon | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Logan O'Connor | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Devon Toews | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Oliver Bjorkstrand | - | - | - | |
| Nick Blankenburg | - | - | - | |
| Zach Bogosian | - | - | - | |
| Zachary Bolduc | - | - | - | |
| Matthew Boldy | - | - | - | |
| COMPLETE STATS | ||||