Dec 15, 2024
If the NHL were to charge a commission on injury-related transactions, the Minnesota Wild might be on the verge of bankruptcy by now. Their best start in franchise history has been all the more impressive when one considers all of the health setbacks sent their way, seemingly, since Day 1. In addition to sending postgame notes following Saturday’s impressive 4-1 win over Philadelphia, the team also sent out an update on two more players leaving the lineup due to injury. Goalie Jesper Wallstedt was recalled from Iowa under emergency conditions late Saturday, as mainstay puck-stopper Filip Gustavsson was unavailable for Sunday’s game versus Vegas. He last played the first two periods in a 7-1 loss to Edmonton on Thursday, but practiced with the team the following day and was on the bench to back up Marc-Andre Fleury during the win over the Flyers. “I don’t think it’s anything major,” Wild coach John Hynes said prior to the game versus the Golden Knights. “He’s getting actually checked out today, so I’ll have more info probably on Tuesday.” Gustavsson has been the goalie of record for 22 of the Wild’s 31 games, with a 14-5-3 record. The call-up of Wallstedt was coupled with forward Jakub Lauko going to the injured reserve list after aggravating a lower-body injury that has affected his availability for the last month. After missing six consecutive games, Lauko returned to the lineup last Tuesday for a shootout win at Utah and played versus Edmonton, but he left the Flyers game early. Hynes classified his injury as week to week and said the team is mentally sound despite the constant stream of players in and out of the lineup. “We all feel confident in our depth. You know that you’re going to go through certain situations where you’re going to get injuries. We’re going through it now, but we’re still playing at a high level,” Hynes said, noting the return of defenseman Jonas Brodin and forward Mats Zuccarello to the ice for Saturday’s win, which gave the team a boost. “We like the guys in our lineup. We’ve had a couple guys out now but two guys that were out have come back in so it’s been a little bit flux but I think the mindset is always the same: We gotta play a strong team game, and the guys that are in the lineup have to do the job and I think they’ve done a really good job of that to date. Gotta keep moving forward.” Wild center Yakov Trenin also missed Sunday’s game, his second consecutive absence, with an upper-body injury. In the line of fire Zuccarello had an assist in his first game back from a painful injury suffered a month earlier. He required surgery after a shot fired by teammate Brock Faber inadvertently struck Zuccarello below the belt. “It was a rough week, week-and-a-half with pain, but the doctors and everyone did a good job,” Zuccarello said. “Obviously, when it happened, couple days after that, it was painful. But after a couple of weeks, it felt good. But, still, there’s a lot of physics down there or whatever you say, so like the core, you can’t lift, you can’t do anything. So it’s one of those freak injuries where you just have to listen to the doctors for once.” It followed another incident earlier in his career in which Zuccarello had missed time after getting hit in the head by a similar shot while posted in front of the opponents’ net. He joked with reporters that he won’t be going to the front of the net anymore. “I’ve been in front of the net twice,” he said. “Once I got hit in my head and I was in the hospital for a long time and now I got hit in my (groin). So that’s why I stay on the perimeter and outside the crease and let the other guys do the dirty job.” Related Articles Minnesota Wild | Wild right the ship quickly with matinee win over Philly Minnesota Wild | As penalty kill struggles, Wild encouraged to keep it clean Minnesota Wild | Jake Middleton injury means changes for Wild’s defensive lineup Minnesota Wild | Oilers hit a gusher, romp past Wild Minnesota Wild | Skating smiles as Jonas Brodin and Mats Zuccarello return to practice
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