DENVER -- Jonas Brodin and Joel Eriksson Ek did not play for the Minnesota Wild in Game 1 of the Western Conference Second Round against the Colorado Avalanche at Ball Arena on Sunday.
“Out for the first two and then there’s going to be a break between (Games) 2 and 3, so I think both of those guys will be reevaluated and see where it goes from there,” Wild coach John Hynes said.
Brodin, a regular on the Wild's second defense pair with Jared Spurgeon, sustained a lower-body injury in the second period of a 4-2 win in Game 5 of the first round against the Dallas Stars on Tuesday after blocking a shot by Stars forward Mikko Rantanen. He left the game at 1:44 of the second period and missed Game 6, a 5-2 win by Minnesota to clinch the best-of-7 series.
Brodin had one assist in five games against the Stars and averaged 19:41 of ice time per game. The 32-year-old had 18 points (four goals, 14 assists) in 62 regular-season games, averaging 20:17 of ice time.
Game 2 will be played here on Tuesday before the series shifts to Minnesota, where Game 3 will be played Saturday.
Eriksson Ek was injured in Game 6 when he lost an edge and slid into the wall with his right leg, though he finished the game. The center did not practice Saturday and did not make the trip.
Eriksson Ek had five points (three goals, two assists) in 23:44 of ice time per game in the first round and led the Wild with a 56.4 face-off winning percentage. He had 51 points (19 goals, 32 assists) in 70 regular-season games.
“‘Ekky’s’ a big part of the team, but as you go through the course of a season, you’re going to get injuries and injuries are a part of the game,” Hynes said. “So, when you have a player like him out that plays so many different situations, one player isn’t going to take the brunt of that responsibility.
“… When you lose a guy that plays that many situations, you have to (try to replace him) collectively as a group and it’s not all on one guy.”
NHL.com staff writer Tracey Myers contributed to this report
