Joel Eriksson Ek leaves Wild win after Jake McCabe hit

Eriksson Ek was reaching for a pass that got picked off, never saw McCabe coming, and took the full shoulder. Here's the hit.

Michael Russo

@RussoHockey

Here's the Eriksson Ek injury

Gino Hard

@GinoHard_

Joel Eriksson Ek collided with Jake McCabe and needed assistance getting off the ice 🤕 t.co/iwOG1topXN

It looked bad. McCabe's shoulder appeared to catch Eriksson Ek up high, around the head, and the 29-year-old went down and stayed down. He needed athletic trainer John Worthy to get him back on his skates and went straight down the tunnel to the locker room. Hockey hits like that are the worst kind to watch, because you know right away the night is probably over.

It was. When the teams came out for the 3rd, he wasn't on the bench, and John Hynes had to rework his lineup on the fly.

Michael Russo

@RussoHockey

Eriksson Ek is not back to start the third. Hartman centering the first line

Ryan Hartman moving up to center the top line is the obvious fix. He's played up and down this lineup for years. The ripple was the fun part: with Hartman bumped up, Michael McCarron got a spot on the 2nd power-play unit, and he cashed in right away.

Michael Russo

@RussoHockey

Michael McCarron, on the No. 2 PP with Eriksson Ek hurt and Hartman elevated, makes it 4-2 on a rebound just as the Raddysh minor expired

That goal capped a night that belonged to Matt Boldy, who scored a hat trick, the 6th of his career, including the game-winner 3:59 into the 3rd. Kirill Kaprizov had 3 assists, Danila Yurov had a goal and an assist, and Jesper Wallstedt made 26 saves for his 13th win. Minnesota has now won 5 of 6, and Toronto has lost 5 straight and 7 of its last 8. Bad time to be a Leafs fan, but you knew that.

Now the part that matters. The Wild called it an upper-body injury, and Hynes didn't have a real update after the game, though The Athletic's Michael Russo said the coach didn't seem very worried. Eriksson Ek will be evaluated before Saturday's game in Boston, which ends the 3-game road trip. If he can't go, Nico Sturm would probably come into the lineup. Eriksson Ek is the guy who wins the faceoffs, kills the penalties and does the dirty work in front of the net. Minnesota can get through 1 game without him. A long absence would be a real problem.