Zuccarello, Trenin return for Wild in Game 5 of West 1st Round

DALLAS -- Mats Zuccarello and Yakov Trenin returned for the Minnesota Wild in Game 5 of the Western Conference First Round against the Dallas Stars at American Airlines Center on Tuesday.

Zuccarello had missed the past three games and Trenin the past two, each with an upper-body injury.

The best-of-7 series is tied 2-2.

“(Zuccarello) has a big, big impact on and off the ice,” Hynes said. “I think his leadership, his personality, just the way that he is, I think he’s good for the group and he’s good for our team in multiple ways.”

There were signs that Zuccarello and Trenin were ready to play on Monday. 

Zuccarello was working in his regular spot with the first power-play unit, even running a five-minute meeting with the group toward the end of that portion of practice.

He had three assists in Game 1, including two on the power play in the 6-1 win. The Wild were 2-for-4 on the power play with Zuccarello in Game 1; they were 1-for-15 without him.

Zuccarello finished Game 1 after taking an elbow to the head from Dallas defenseman Tyler Myers in the first period. That hit is the reason why he did not play the past three games.

"Obviously, he's a big part of our team, a big part of our power play," defenseman Quinn Hughes said. "He's got a lot of experience, a lot of playoff experience, been to the Cup Final (2014 New York Rangers), really well respected. Obviously, it's important to have him back."

Trenin, who sustained his injury when Stars forward Colin Blackwell hit him in open ice in the first period of Game 2, was also on the ice Monday for the full optional practice. He left the ice at the same time as the Wild regulars.

He led the NHL with 413 hits in the regular season and has 16 in the series.

Danila Yurov, who stayed on the ice at the end of the morning skate Tuesday for extra work, was scratched for Game 5. He had played in each of the four games in the series. Nico Sturm was also scratched.

The Stars, meanwhile, did not have Nils Lundkvist for Game 5 and will remain without center Roope Hintz (lower-body injury) through at least Game 6. Hintz has not played since March 6 and is skating on his own.

Game 6 is Thursday in Minnesota. 

“I think maybe he does toward the end. I wouldn’t say it’s Game 6, certainly,” Dallas coach Glen Gulutzan said after the morning skate Tuesday. “It’s the skates and how he’s progressing. I would say there’s a chance (for Game 7, if necessary). Would I bet on it? No, but there’s a chance.”

Lundkvist sustained a deep facial laceration in Game 4 on Saturday. He did not practice Monday and was replaced by Ilya Lyubushkin. Lundkvist has two assists and is averaging 16:45 of ice time per game in the first round while playing on Dallas' second defense pair with Thomas Harley.

“There is a little bit of something else going on, so we’ll wait and see how that transpires,” Gulutzan said. “It was a very deep cut, so we’ll have to see how that transpires.”