The Minnesota Wild announced on Saturday that star left wing Zach Parise has sustained a sprained MCL and is considered to be “week-to-week” with the injury.
Parise sustained the injury in Thursday’s game against the Nashville Predators when he was run from behind by Nashville’s James Neal.
Parise limped off the ice after the hit and went down the tunnel. But he came back almost right away and played a few more shifts before not returning to start the second period. Parise’s will to play despite an injury has gotten him in trouble before, making injuries worse.
GM Chuck Fletcher acknowledged as much, through the back door, when he told the Star Tribune’s Michael Russo that “we’re managing Zach” and not just Zach’s injury. Russo continued that team doctors forced Parise out of the game and that he wanted to keep playing.
The team also announced on Saturday that defenseman Nate Prosser is considered day-to-day with a back injury, also sustained at the cross-checking hands of James Neal. In fact, Neal seemed to be a man with a mission on Thursday. He also ran the Wild’s Ryan Carter from behind with a cross-check when Carter was without the puck. After a retaliation from Carter, they got matching penalties. Later, Neal took a run at Charlie Coyle from behind as well. Another play he was given a penalty on.
The Wild will play their first complete game sans-Parise on Saturday when the Tampa Bay Lightning come to St. Paul.
Prosser day to day with back injury. Also a James Neal cross-check. Fletcher on Neal: "he was on fire" #mnwild
— Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) November 7, 2015
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