Key Wild forwards Zuccarello and Trenin sidelined for Game 3. Their absence significantly impacts Minnesota's offensive firepower and physical presence against Dallas.
ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Minnesota Wild (1-1) is back in action tonight for Game 3 against the Dallas Stars (1-1). It is the first home game of the series for Minnesota.
Minnesota has had some injuries early in this series, and it will affect them again tonight.
Mats Zuccarello took an elbow to the head in Game 1 and missed Game 2. Yakov Trenin got hit hard in the first period of Game 2 and did not return to that game.
After morning skate on Wednesday, Wild head coach John Hynes said the two would be game-time decisions.
Now that warmups have started, both Trenin and Zuccarello are not on the ice and will not play tonight. That means Bobby Brink will stay in the lineup and Nico Sturm will enter.
Zuccarello, 38, had three assists in Game 1 and plays a huge factor on the Wild's top line with Ryan Hartman and Kirill Kaprizov. Both Kaprizov and Hartman were held off the scoresheet in Game 2 without Zuccarello.
It is a big loss for the Wild to not have Zuccarello in the lineup again. He has two goals and eight points in seven career playoff games against the Stars. In 103 career playoff games, Zuccarello has 19 goals, 42 assists and 61 points in 103 career playoff games.
Trenin, 29, led the Wild and the NHL in hits with 413 hits in his first-ever 82-game season. He also set the Wild franchise record for most hits in a single season.
The 6-foot-2 forward was the only Wild player to have played in 82 games. He had 13 hits in Game 1, which set a Wild franchise record for most hits in a single game.
It is a big loss for the Wild to not have the physical forward in the lineup. He has 1,359 career hits in 457 NHL games. In 28 career playoff games, Trenin has 115 hits. Including 50 hits in eight career playoff games with Minnesota.
We will get more of an update from Hynes postgame about the two injuries.
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