The Minnesota Wild had a rough Monday as a pair of injuries were made even worse with a 7-4 loss to the Dallas Stars.
The day started off on a bad note when captain Jared Spurgeon went on injured reserve with a lower-body injury. It’s unknown whether that news carried into the game but Dallas took advantage with two goals in the first 3:24 including a shorthanded goal from Esa Lindell.
Despite the slow start, the Wild got back into the game thanks to Ryan Hartman’s 14th goal of the season. With Minnesota down 2-1, Marcus Foligno made an aggressive play toward the net that set up Kevin Fiala to tie the game with his fifth goal of the year.
Foligno makes something happen! #mnwild pic.twitter.com/Jqlzpqv1fn
— FanDuel Sports Network North (@FanDuelSN_NOR) December 21, 2021
But just over a minute later, Tyler Seguin gave Dallas the lead. With Cam Talbot struggling, the Stars went ahead 4-2 on a power play goal from Roope Heintz. Things got worse when Joel Eriksson Ek left the game after a hold that wasn’t called and did not return.
According to The Athletic’s Michael Russo, Eriksson Ek was seen wearing a sling on his way to the team bus and head coach Dean Evason didn’t seem optimistic about his status moving forward.
Although Kirill Kaprizov scored his 12th goal of the year to make it a 4-3 game heading into the third period, the Stars erupted for a pair of goals to blow the game open and cruise to victory.
With the Wild banged up and on a four-game losing streak, they’ll benefit from the news that the NHL has decided to pause league activities until Dec. 26. But the Wild’s next game is scheduled for Dec. 27 in Winnipeg, which may be impacted by a decision to stop travel across the Canadian border.
It’s possible the Wild may not see the ice until they host the Winter Classic on Jan. 1 at Target Field against the St. Louis Blues.
