Sports
C Eriksson Ek misses Game 4 as Wild fall to Stars
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Minnesota Wild center Joel Eriksson Ek was scratched for Game 4 of their first-round NHL playoff series against Dallas on Sunday because of an injury that cut short his Game 3 after just one shift.
Wild coach Dean Evason confirmed before the game that Eriksson Ek would not play. He declined to elaborate on a timeline for the return of the team’s third-leading scorer.
Without him, Frederick Gaudreau and John Klingberg scored goals, but the Wild couldn’t catch up to Dallas in the Stars’ 3-2 victory. Jake Oettinger made 32 saves in the win.
Eriksson Ek, who had 23 goals and 38 assists in the regular season, missed six games — including Games 1 and 2 against the Stars — with a lower-body injury after the seventh-year player was hurt blocking a shot April 6.
The Wild have not confirmed that Eriksson Ek aggravated the same injury, but Evason said he thought he “probably just drove a little harder” than he had been skating with the adrenaline rush of being back on the ice.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.