Nathan Mackinnon leads Wild into Game 1 without Brodin

nathan mackinnon is not the only number the Wild have to manage in Denver. Jonas Brodin will not travel with Minnesota for Game 1, and Joel Eriksson Ek is listed as questionable after taking a hard hit in Game 6.

Brodin misses the Denver trip

John Hynes said Brodin would not accompany the team to Denver. The defenseman is out after blocking Mikko Rantanen’s shot early in the second period of Game 5, leaving Minnesota to sort its pairs against the NHL’s best team and highest-scoring team in the opener.

The adjustment already showed up in Game 6, when Jake Middleton moved up beside Jared Spurgeon on the second pair. Zach Bogosian and Jeff Petry handled the third pair as a right-shot-right-shot combination, with Petry logging 7:13 and Bogosian 11:37.

Eriksson Ek’s Game 6 hit

Eriksson Ek’s status turned after he lost an edge and slammed hard into the side boards right-leg first in the third period of Game 6. He returned and finished the game, but Hynes said he first learned Saturday morning that the centerman was a question mark for Game 1.

If Eriksson Ek cannot play, Hynes said the Wild are still sorting the replacement. He mentioned Danila Yurov and Matt Haight as possible options, and said Nick Foligno can play center while Bobby Brink could also enter the lineup.

Wild options for Game 1

Saturday’s practice offered another clue. Indications were that Daemon Hunt will not play in Game 1, and he stayed on the ice to get bagged by assistant coaches with Ben Jones, Matt Kiersted, Hunter Haight and Robby Fabbri.

Minnesota reached the second round for the first time since 2015 after beating the Dallas Stars in six games, and that sets up a lineup challenge before a series with the top seed’s attack. Hynes framed the task simply: “You have to find a way to win with the players that are in the lineup.”