The Minnesota Wild, after eliminating the Dallas Stars from the Western Conference Quarterfinal to secure their first postseason series win in 11 years, were unable to advance any further after running into the President’s Trophy-winning Colorado Avalanche in the next round.
While the Wild were able to rebound from two straight losses at Ball Arena in Denver to cut Colorado’s series lead in half, the Avalanche took control from that point on with two straight victories. Game 5 back in Denver was a heartbreaker for the Wild, who raced out to a 3-0 first period lead, only to see the Avalanche knot the score thanks to two late regulation goals, followed by the overtime and series-clinching goal from defenseman Brett Kulak shortly into the extra session.
The Wild were also considerably shorthanded for their series against the Avalanche, as both Joel Eriksson-Ek and Jonas Brodin were unavailable for all five games. And now, the Wild are revealing the extend of both of their respective injuries.
The Minnesota Wild Reveal The Extend Of The Injuries To Joel Eriksson-Ek And Jonas Brodin
Eriksson-Ek was injured in the opening-round series against the Stars when his skate caught a rut on the ice, causing him to crash into the boards, breaking a bone in his foot as a result.
Saying that he wasn’t even able to plant his foot properly on the ice, Eriksson-Ek revealed how painful it was not being able to play with his teammates during the most critical part of the season.
“You want to play,” Eriksson Ek said during Minnesota’s season-ending media availability session earlier in the week. “Just I couldn’t do it. It was too painful to skate.”
“Lot of emotions, watching,” he continued. “I mean, everyone says, it’s a lot worse to sit on the side and watch than playing the games. Yeah, it was hard. Weird injury. … It just adds, I think, even more frustration to the way you get hurt.”
Meanwhile, Brodin suffered a fractured metatarsal after blocking a shot from Stars forward Mikko Rantanen in Game 5 of the series. While he initially believed that he was fine, subsequent testing showed differently.
“I was getting ready for my next shift,” he said. “I was trying to jump over the boards, and I pushed on that leg, and, yeah, it was not a good feeling. Then I knew something was bad, and then they did X-rays and stuff, and, yeah, it’s really tough.
“It’s awful to not play in the playoffs. Best time of the year. Not be out there, try to help the team win. So it’s really frustrating year for me with that stuff. Yeah, not a good ending.”
The Wild Were Too Shorthanded To Beat The Avalanche
Had the Wild been at full strength, there’s a good chance that they would have won more games in their series against the Avalanche. While it’s no guarantee considering Colorado’s deadly offensive attack, the Wild certainly would have afforded themselves a better chance of emerging victorious in the series.
Instead, they now have to wait until next season for a shot at some sense of revenge against the Avs.
Wild Forwards Come Clean On Extent Of Their Brutal Injuries