Jake Middleton avoided a serious injury when he was pushed head-first into the boards on Friday against the New York Islanders, but the defenseman was unavailable for Sunday’s 3-2 overtime win over Dallas at Xcel Energy Center. Officially, Middleton is out with an upper-body injury after a push fr om Islanders alternate captain Bo Horvat in the second period of the Wild’s 3-1 loss. Middleton was racing to retrieve a puck in the corner when Horvat gave him a shove with his left hand, simultaneously tripping him with his stick. Middleton went face-first into the boards and collapsed in a heap. Horvat was immediately contrite, and later banged his stick on the ice while standing in the penalty box as Middleton left the ice. “I would say day to day,” Hynes said. Middleton wasn’t the only regular unavailable Sunday. Forwards Kirill Kaprizov and Joel Eriksson Ek remain out with lower-body injuries. Although both skated with the team before a March 27 victory over the Capitals, neither has played a game in weeks and it’s unclear whether either will return before the regular season ends April 15 against Anaheim. Kaprizov, tied for second on the team with 23 goals and third in points with 52, hasn’t played in a game since Jan. 26. Eriksson Ek’s last games were in the Four Nations Face-off in February. He’s on injured reserve. “You know why I don’t like to give timelines; because it changes every day,” Hynes said when asked about the forwards on Sunday. “I truly do not have one. I can’t give you one.” Before Sunday’s game, the Wild held the eighth and final postseason spot in the Western Conference by four points over Calgary, where the Wild will play on Friday night. After Sunday, Minnesota has four regular-season games left. Ovation Hynes coached in the Eastern Conference in the Penguins’ system and as head coach with the New Jersey Devils, so he is more familiar than most with Alex Ovechkin, who broke Wayne Gretzky’s NHL goals record with his 895th career goal on Sunday before the Wild dropped the puck on Dallas. Hynes was watching the nationally televised game. “Unbelievable,” he said. “Obviously, history before our eyes. … When you really think about breaking Wayne Gretzky’s record, and the ability to score at that rate, it takes years of that. Years of that consistent scoring, years of staying healthy, years of playing at such a high level. It was amazing to see it.” Wild wing Marcus Johansson, a former teammate in Washington, has the fifth-most assists on Ovechkin goals with 58. He trails Nicklas Backstrom (279), John Carlson (158), Evgeny Kuznetsov (110) and Mike Green (70). Briefly Minnesota had 41 shots on goal on Sunday, their first 40-shot game since a 4-1 loss to Winnipeg on Nov. 25. Dallas goaltender Jake Oettinger, from Lakeville, finished with 38 saves and still has never lost to the Wild in regulation. He’s now 7-0-3 in 12 meetings. … Defenseman Cameron Crotty, recalled from AHL Iowa on Saturday, was a healthy scratch. Related Articles Wild end four-game losing skid with overtime victory over Dallas Wild loss costly on many levels as playoff position now in real danger Punishment not part of the picture in Wild lineup choices Wild Penalty kill improving at a vital time Not pointless, as Wild fall in OT to Rangers ...read more read less