As he headed to downtown St. Paul for morning skate on Friday, Minnesota Wild homegrown star Brock Faber felt like he was suffering from a case of strep throat. His voice was raspy, while things like talking and swallowing were painful. And in the crazy, high-risk, high-reward world of playing defense in the NHL, the fact that those were Faber’s only symptoms was a hugely positive thing. “Picture strep throat and I had it pretty bad, that’s how it feels right now,” Faber said on Friday morning, as his team prepared for a home game versus Utah. “My body feels fine and I don’t have chills, so it’s actually even better than strep throat.” In the final minute of the Wild’s 6-1 loss to Florida two nights early, Faber was standing guard in front of the Minnesota net when a rising puck fired by Panthers winger Eetu Luostarinen hit the Wild defenseman on the right side of his neck. Immediately, Faber hit the ice, then dropped both gloves and skated hard for the locker room, grabbing at his chin strap. The impact of the shot, combined with adrenaline from the pain, made it hard for him to breathe for a time. “Thankfully, caught me on the side of the neck more than right on the Adam’s apple there,” Faber said. “Right away, it was just trying to calm down pretty quick, and went back and saw all the doctors and trainers and they thought it was best to head over to the hospital just to make sure the swelling doesn’t swell to the point where it’s all the way where I couldn’t breathe.” Wild coach John Hynes admitted that Faber’s injury was perhaps the worst moment of one of the team’s most lopsided losses this season, especially when the roster has been decimated by various injuries, all while the team has been off to an otherwise hot start. “It’s a little scary, obviously, because you can see him get hit so quick and then he kind of goes off the bench and then lots of times, for us, you don’t know. The game’s still going on and then by the time we get out he is getting evaluated by the doctors,” Hynes said. “But even talking with Brock, it was a scary situation for him. But, I think an hour after it happened he felt better and where he got hit was probably the best place you could, if you’re gonna get hit there. So it’s nice to see him back feeling okay like that.” Faber, who starred for the Gophers and was twice named the Big Ten’s defensive player of the year as a collegian, said he made sure to text his parents right away to let them know he wasn’t seriously hurt. He has gotten in the way of plenty of pucks in his career as a defenseman but taking one to the neck was a first. He said that he does not plan to wear any kind of neck protection or change his game as a result. “I’ve never thought about it. It’s just how it goes. If you get hit in the face, you get hit in the face,” Faber said. “Again, we’re fortunate to have a lot of people that help us out. Every guy in here has lost a tooth or chipped a tooth and that’s just how it is. You’re not scared of it. That’s the last thing you’re thinking about.” Manpower update Wild goalie Filip Gustavsson was a full participant in the team’s Friday morning skate but is not yet ready to return to the game crease and will miss, at minimum, the Wild’s games with Utah on Friday and at Winnipeg on Saturday, after missing the previous two games with a lower-body injury. “Still, he’s day to day. He skated the last couple days. He’s gonna skate again today,” Hynes said. “He will not play tomorrow. He’ll skate tomorrow and then we’ll see where he goes from there.” Forwards Yakov Trenin and Joel Eriksson Ek joined the morning skate late and got in some on-ice work, which is a sign of progress as they make a slow recovery from injury. Eriksson Ek has missed the last seven games with a lower-body injury suffered in overtime of a win versus Vancouver on Dec. 3. Trenin has missed the last three games. “He’s taking that next step. He’s been skating,” Hynes said of Eriksson Ek. “First team skates now, so we’ll see how he responds, but it looks like both guys are obviously progressing in a positive way. Trenin’s out there and now too, so same for him.” The Wild recalled forwards Devin Shore and Travis Boyd from Iowa for the Utah game. Boyd, the former Gophers standout from Hopkins, Minn., signed with the Wild last summer and has played in two road games thus far. He was listed as the team’s 13th forward versus Utah, so Minnesota fans have yet to see him play at Xcel Energy Center. Related Articles Minnesota Wild | For former Gophers star Logan Cooley, Utah is the newest hockey home Minnesota Wild | Lackluster late night for Wild as Panthers flex their muscle Minnesota Wild | Puck possession in focus as Wild seek penalty kill solutions Minnesota Wild | Jess Myers: With strong start, no desperate moves needed by injury-riddled Wild Minnesota Wild | After getting his groove back, Jesper Wallstedt makes Wild season debut