The Wild are back in action tonight against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Here's everything you need to know before the game.
Game Preview: Wild vs Lightning ST. PAUL - The injuries just keep coming for the Wild as they will now be without their captain, Jared Spurgeon tonight. Head coach John Hynes indicated after skate today that it is the same injury Spurgeon has been dealing with and is considered a setback.
"He's getting some treatments yesterday and today so I think a lot of it is how he responds to those," Hynes said on Spurgeon. "I don't have a for sure timeline on it but it's, wait and see how he responds to the treatment because he was struggling to finish the game the other night. So I'm trying to see if we can get it to settle down and to progress forward again."
As it looked from morning skate, the Wild will be without Spurgeon, Kirill Kaprizov, Filip Gustavsson, Vinni Lettieri, Jonas Brodin, Mats Zuccarello and Marcus Foligno. Add those seven cap hits with the Zach Parise and Ryan Suter buyouts and that equals 61 percent of the team's cap hit not in the lineup tonight.
"I think it's awesome. I mean, it's a great challenge," Hynes said on all the injuries. "I think, not I think I know in talking with the players it's a great opportunity. Every player wants more. Can I play higher in the lineup, can I get on a special team, can I play in this situation? And now you have the opportunity to do it. So from that standpoint I think that gives energy to your team and to the group."
Nic Petan in particular has been given a pretty good opportunity and so far he has ran with it. The 28-year-old forward has played two games with the Wild since his call up and has two assists. He is in the top six and on the second power play unit.
Another forward for the Wild will get a great opportunity for more ice time tonight. Brandon Duhaime will move up a line to the third line and play with Freddy Gaudreau and Pat Maroon
The Wild did recall Daemon Hunt from Iowa earlier but he will not play tonight. Although, based on how Jon Merrill and Dakota Mermis play, Hunt could draw into the lineup in Columbus.
Wild Projected Lines
Johansson - Eriksson Ek - Boldy
Petan - Rossi - Hartman
Maroon - Gaudreau - Duhaime
Lucchini - Dewar - Walker
Defense pairs
Middleton - Faber
Goligoski - Bogosian
Merrill - Mermis
Starting Goaltender: Fleury
Scratched: D Daemon Hunt
Injured: F Mats Zuccarello (upper-body), F Kirill Kaprizov (upper-body), F Vinni Lettieri (lower-body), F Marcus Foligno (lower-body), D Jonas Brodin (upper-body), D Jared Spurgeon (lower-body), G Filip Gustavsson (lower-body).
Lightning Projected Lines
Steven Stamkos - Anthony Cirelli - Nikita Kucherov
Brandon Hagel - Brayden Point - Nick Paul
Michael Eyssimont - Tyler Motte - Conor Sheary
Tanner Jeannot - Luke Glendening - Austin Watson
Defense pairs
Victor Hedman - Nick Perbix
Philppe Myers - Darren Raddysh
Calvin De Haan - Declan Carlile
Starting Goaltender: Andrei Vasilevskiy
Scratched: F Alex Barre-Boulet, D Sean Day
Injured: D Erik Cernak (upper-body), D Mikhail Sergachev (lower-body), D Haydn Fleury (upper-body).