DENVER (AP) — The Minnesota Wild will be without forward Joel Eriksson Ek and defenseman Jonas Brodin for the first two games of their second-round series against the Colorado Avalanche because of lower-body injuries.
Neither player made the trip to Denver. Wild coach John Hynes said the team is still “making a couple decisions on the lineup" ahead of Game 1 on Sunday night.
The Avalanche will be without defenseman Josh Manson, who missed the series clincher against the Los Angeles Kings last Sunday with an upper-body injury. Avs coach Jared Bednar said Nick Blankenburg will slide into Manson's place. The team acquired Blankenburg in a deal with Nashville on March 4.
“He's played good in the time he's been with us,” Bednar said. “We got him for a reason — like the way he moves, like the way he moves the puck. He plays with a little bite. He’s got to stay within himself. It’s going to be a challenge for him tonight, because the thing we'll miss with (Manson) is the size, the strength, the physicality."
Eriksson Ek had three goals and two assists in the Wild's first-round series win over Dallas. He finished with a 56.4% faceoff win rate. Danila Yurov and Hunter Haight could be possibilities to take Eriksson Ek's place.
“Ekky's a big part of the team," Hynes said. "When you lose a guy that plays that many situations, you have to do it collectively as a group, and it’s not all on one guy.”
Brodin didn't play in Game 6 against Dallas.
Hynes said given the break between Games 2 and 3 — the teams play Tuesday and not again until Saturday — that “both those guys will be reevaluated and see where it goes from there.”
AP NHL playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
Los Angeles Kings left wing Trevor Moore, center, scores on goaltender Scott Wedgewood, right, as defenseman Josh Manson defends during the second period of Game 3 in the first round of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoffs Thursday, April 23, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Minnesota Wild center Joel Eriksson Ek (14) passes while Dallas Stars defenseman Lian Bichsel (6) defends during the first period of Game 6 in the first round of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoff series Thursday, April 30, 2026, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Bailey Hillesheim)
