Wild Player To Watch: Joel Eriksson Ek Looks To Find Scoring Touch Against Lightning

The Minnesota Wild (2-0-1) will look to remain unbeaten in regulation when they face the Tampa Bay Lightning (2-1-0) on Thursday night, and Joel Eriksson Ek could be a player to keep an eye on.

Eriksson Ek has yet to find the back of the net through Minnesota’s first three games of the 2026-27 season, recording one assist. However, Thursday’s matchup presents an opportunity for the 29-year-old center to get his offensive game going.

Throughout his career, Eriksson Ek has enjoyed considerable success against Tampa Bay, recording eight goals and two assists for 10 points in 15 career games.

His eight goals against the Lightning have come on 50 shots, giving him a 16.0 shooting percentage against Tampa Bay.

While Eriksson Ek has primarily been known for his defensive reliability and ability to match up against opposing teams’ top players, his offensive contributions have become an increasingly important part of Minnesota’s success.

Playing alongside Matt Boldy and Blake Coleman on the Wild’s first line, Eriksson Ek has an opportunity to contribute offensively while continuing to handle difficult defensive assignments.

That responsibility could be particularly important against a Tampa Bay team featuring offensive threats such as Nikita Kucherov, Brayden Point and Jake Guentzel.

The Lightning will also have a different look in net Thursday, with Dennis Hildeby expected to make his first start for Tampa Bay after Andrei Vasilevskiy started the team’s first three games.

For Eriksson Ek, the opportunity to face a goaltender making his first start with a new team could provide an opening to generate more offensive opportunities around the crease, an area where the Wild center has consistently found success throughout his career.

Minnesota has received plenty of early offensive production from Kirill Kaprizov, who has scored three goals through three games, but getting Eriksson Ek going would provide another boost to the Wild’s top six.

With eight goals in 15 career games against Tampa Bay, Eriksson Ek has already demonstrated his ability to produce against the Lightning.

Thursday presents an opportunity to add to that total while finding the back of the net for the first time this season.

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