The Minnesota Wild will look to end a two-game winless streak on Tuesday in an early Central Division matchup versus the St. Louis Blues. It’s the second game of seven on the road, and they might have some good news as Joel Eriksson Ek is traveling with the team after missing Sunday’s game versus the Winnipeg Jets. He suffered a broken nose after taking an elbow to the face from the Seattle Kraken’s Adam Larsson on Saturday night.
Spurgeon’s Health in Question
While the news on Eriksson Ek is good, there is real concern about the health of captain Jared Spurgeon after he missed Sunday’s game and isn’t traveling with the team to St. Louis. The Wild are saying he’s day-to-day with a lower-body injury. Spurgeon missed 66 games last season with hip and back surgery, and the concern is that he might have reaggravated one of those injuries. The team has been open about Eriksson Ek, so the lack of information about Spurgeon has many worried.
Wild Question Marks For Tuesday’s Contest
The Wild had three goalies on the roster to begin the season. It was assumed that tonight’s starter would be Jesper Wallstedt, but the rash of injuries to start the season has changed tonight’s plan, as Wallstedt has been sent down to the Iowa Wild of the American Hockey League so the team has enough healthy bodies. Defenseman Daemon Hunt was the latest recall (on Monday), and the Wild have other defensemen banged up, including Jacob Middleton.
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Marcus Johansson was a question mark against the Jets but did play. Eriksson Ek will be a game-time decision. If he’s ready, Liam Ohgren will come out. There is a small chance the Wild could put Spurgeon on injured reserve retroactive to Sunday, meaning he could be activated by Monday, Oct. 21. But if they put him on long-term injured reserve, the team will be left scrambling.
Blues vs. Wild: Battle Of Top Two Lines
Like the Wild, the Blues are a top-heavy offensive team. Minnesota’s top two lines have scored 77% of their goals – the only other goals are from Ryan Hartman and Middelton. The Blues’ top players have scored six goals, three by a defenseman and two from their bottom-six forwards.
The projected lineup for the Blues:
Brandon Saad- Robert Thomas- Jake Neighbours
Zach Bolduc-Pavel Buchnevich-Jordan Kyrou
Mathieu Joseph- Brayden Schenn- Dylan Holloway
Alexey Toropchenko- Radek Faksa- Nathan Walker
Head coach Drew Bannister has split up his top three players (Thomas, Buchnevich and Kyrou) to start the campaign, and it’s worked out well. The team is 2-1-0 ahead of Tuesday’s home opener. The team that wins the top-six battle will likely come away with two points.
Penalty Kill Costing The Wild Yet Again
Unfortunately, the Wild’s penalty kill (PK) is still the team’s biggest weakness. In 2023-24, they finished 30th on the PK at 74.1%. This season, they’ve given up a power-play goal in all three games and currently sit 28th at 57.1%. This is an issue that needs to be fixed soon, or it could be the reason the Wild miss the playoffs yet again. With all due respect, Marat Khusnutdinov shouldn’t be killing penalties – not this early in his NHL career.
Of note: the team had two pro scouts in attendance for the Utah Hockey Club versus New Jersey Devils game on Monday.
The Wild need another gusty performance tonight and must find a way to start banking points again.
