Brodin Out, Avs Face Wild Without 2 Key Pieces

The avs open Game 1 with Minnesota already missing Jonas Brodin, and Joel Eriksson Ek is listed as questionable after injuries late in the first-round series. That leaves the Wild with lineup decisions before Sunday’s second-round start in Denver, where they face the NHL’s best and highest-scoring team.

Brodin Misses Denver Trip

Brodin did not travel with the Wild to Denver and was ruled out after blocking Mikko Rantanen’s shot early in the second period of Game 5. The defenseman’s absence removes a player Minnesota used on the back end as the series turned against Dallas and now shifts the assignment into a tougher matchup against Colorado.

Without Brodin, Jake Middleton moved up to the second pair with Jared Spurgeon in Game 6. Zach Bogosian and Jeff Petry handled the third pair in that game, with Petry logging 7:13 and Bogosian 11:37. Those were the minutes Minnesota had available when Brodin was unavailable, and they point to the kind of reshuffling the club may need again against the Avs.

Eriksson Ek On The List

Eriksson Ek is listed as questionable 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 on Saturday morning that he first learned the center was a question mark for Game 1 and might not be able to travel.

That uncertainty matters because Minnesota reached the second round for the first time since 2015 by beating the Dallas Stars in six games, and the opening opponent is not forgiving. Colorado is the best team in the NHL and the highest-scoring one, with arguably the best center depth in the league, so the Wild’s next move may hinge on whether Eriksson Ek can go or whether Nick Foligno slides to center.

Hynes said the club was still determining whether Danila Yurov or Matt Haight would play if Eriksson Ek is unavailable. He also said, “That’s another topic of discussion. When you get a guy or two out of your lineup, we know we have different options. But I think the difference is, with this team, you have different style of options. You feel like, ‘OK, this is what we think is the right decision for this game.’ And maybe it really goes well, but if it doesn’t, I think you also have another opportunity to make a change, too.”