Joel Eriksson Ek, the Minnesota Wild centre, has a chance to play in Game 3 against the Colorado Avalanche. He has been sidelined with a lower-body injury. Eriksson Ek participated in practice on Friday, offering some positive news for the Wild.
Eriksson Ek’s Practice Participation
Eriksson Ek skated on his own with skills and skating coach Andy Ness before the team practice. He then joined his teammates for a limited portion of the practice. Eriksson Ek did not participate in line rushes or special teams drills. He typically centres Marcus Johansson and Matt Boldy. He also plays on the No. 1 power play and penalty kill.
Coach John Hynes said watching the last half hour of practice from the bench was part of the plan for Eriksson Ek. It marked his first time skating in the eight days since he was hurt in Game 6 of the Dallas Stars series.
Potential Game 3 Return
Hynes indicated that Eriksson Ek might play in Game 3 on Saturday night. “He’s a warrior,” Boldy said. “We know that. So, yeah, it’s great to see him out there, and, you know, we’ll see what happens.”
Hynes said, “I thought he looked good out there. So that was certainly encouraging. And 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.
“Is he definitely going to play? I don’t know that. Is he a potential? There’s a potential. There’s a chance he can play. I won’t know probably until game time (Saturday).”
The Player’s Decision
Hynes clarified that Eriksson Ek’s availability would largely depend on the player himself. “It’s trusting the medical staff, but yes, it ultimately comes down to the player,” Hynes stated.
He added, “And these guys know. They think that they can really help the team, and they’re going to be able to play and contribute the way that they need to contribute. It might not be every player is at 100 percent, but if they feel like they can really impact and play the role that they’re supposed to play, then those guys, a lot of times, they’ll say, ‘Hey, I can do it.’ But other times they’ll say, ‘I’m close, but I’ve got to think of the team first, and right now I can’t perform the way you guys are going to expect me to perform.’”
In 2023, Eriksson Ek broke his lower leg late in the regular season, sidelining him for two months. He tried to return against the Stars after skating for a week, but only lasted 19 seconds.
Hynes addressed whether center Danila Yurov needs to stay in the lineup if Eriksson Ek plays as an insurance policy. “I haven’t thought about that yet, only because today, when I came in this morning, it was he was going to skate. As of yesterday, he hadn’t skated. These things are so fluid that it’s not really like you’re holding information back. I just don’t know.”
- Eriksson Ek missed the first two games against the Avalanche.
- He was injured in Game 6 of the Dallas Stars series.
- He skated before and during practice on Friday.
The Wild have missed Eriksson Ek as they have fallen behind 0-2 in the series.