Wild center Eriksson Ek out for Game 4 vs. Stars with injury
Associated Press
Minnesota Wild center Joel Eriksson Ek (14) and left wing Matt Boldy (12) reacts after a goal by Boldy against the Vegas Golden Knights during the first period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, April 1, 2023, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/David Becker) (David Becker, Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)
ST. PAUL, Minn. – Minnesota Wild center Joel Eriksson Ek was scratched for Game 4 of their first-round NHL playoff series against Dallas on Sunday because of an injury that cut short his Game 3 after just one shift.
Wild coach Dean Evason confirmed before the game that Eriksson Ek would not play. He declined to elaborate on a timeline for the return of the team's third-leading scorer.
Recommended Videos
Eriksson Ek, who had 23 goals and 38 assists in the regular season, missed six games — including Games 1 and 2 against the Stars — with a lower-body injury after the seventh-year player was hurt blocking a shot on April 6.
The Wild have not confirmed that Eriksson Ek aggravated the same injury, but Evason said he thought he “probably just drove a little harder” than he had been skating with the adrenaline rush of being back on the ice.
Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.