Joel Eriksson Ek Returns to MN Wild Practice… Sort Of
The Minnesota Wild are in the middle of a 95-hour break between playoff games, due to other events at Grand Casino Arena that apparently could not be rescheduled.
However, the long stretch between games two and three may be a blessing in disguise for a bruised and battered Wild squad that left Colorado Tuesday night trailing the Avalanche 2-0 in their second-round playoff series.
The Wild have dealt with injuries throughout their first eight playoff games, losing Mats Zuccarello and Yakov Trenin for multiple games in round one, then Jonas Brodin and Joel Eriksson Ek who haven’t played since Game 6 of that Stars series.
To add salt into Minnesota’s blue line wound, Zach Bogosian has been playing injured all playoffs too, before he was finally forced to miss Game 2. Bogosian has been trending toward a return, and the opposite is true for Brodin, who could miss the rest of this postseason.
What’s the status of Joel Eriksson Ek for Game 3
Joel Eriksson Ek’s outlook has been somewhere in the middle of the Wild’s two injured defensemen, meaning nobody’s really sure of his status for Game 3, which seemed like somewhat of a coin-flip, entering Friday.
Then, after head coach John Hynes played coy with reporters, and on KFAN Radio, Joel Eriksson Ek officially returned to MN Wild practice, though he did not take part large chunks.
Joel Eriksson Ek on ice for #mnwild practice. So is Bogosian
— Joe Smith (@JoeSmithNHL) May 8, 2026
#mnwild lines
— Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) May 8, 2026
Kaprizov-Hartman-Brink
Johansson-Yurov-Boldy
Trenin-McCarron-Tarasenko
M. Foligno-Sturm-N. Foligno
Hughes-Faber
Middleton-Spurgeon
Hunt-Petey
Kiersted-Bogosian
Eriksson Ek not in line rushes
Zuccarello not practicing
Man, the Wild could really use their skilled agitator back in the lineup, to help them a Avs’ offense that has been seemingly unstoppable through the first two games of this series, especially on special teams, where Ekker plays a huge role both on the penalty kill and power play units.
Because the Minnesota Wild do not play until Saturday night, Ek’s absence on Russo’s tweeted line combinations isn’t necessarily reflective of his chances to play in Game 3. However, his report that Ekker sat on the bench for much of Friday’s session, is a bit more concerning.
Ekker will decide whether or not he plays Game 3
After practice, Hynes cleared up the situation a little bit, revealing that the 29-year-old veteran will make the ultimate decision on whether or not he suits up. How much he practices between now and then won’t factor in.
Oh, and Mats Zuccarello is sick (but expected to play)…
Hynes says Zuccarello is sick and he expects him to play. Eriksson Ek has a chance to play tomorrow. Plan was for him to skate for first time before practice and be limited in practice. They’ll trust Eriksson Ek and if he thinks he can get through the game
— Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) May 8, 2026
More Wild News: Local Beat Writers Put Team and “Mopey” Goalie on Blast
On the blue line, getting Bogosian back should help the Minnesota Wild’s chances on Saturday. Unfortunately, the absence of Jonas Brodin — and the shutdown pairing he and Jared Spurgeon become while together — will continue to hurt this team, however long their playoff run lasts.
With Brodin on the ice next to him in six games against the Stars, Spurg was a +3. Against the Avs, without his partner in crime, the MN Wild captain is a -4, through two games.
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