The Minnesota Wild had a heck of a Game 1 in their Stanley Cup playoff series against the Dallas Stars. However, Game 2 didn’t go quite as planned.
After blowing out the Stars 6-1 in their series opener, the Stars got revenge, beating the Wild 4-2 on Monday night. The defeat was costlier beyond the scoreboard. Minnesota lost two key pieces to injury.
First, there was Mats Zuccarrello, who did not play with an upper-body injury.
And then, there was bottom-six grinder Yakov Trenin. The NHL’s hit leader was on the receiving end of a “bicuspid rattler” from Colin Blackwell. The hit levelled the Wild forward, leaving him on the ice in evident pain.
The massive hit knocked Trenin out of the game. But if one medical opinion proves true, he could be done for at least the remainder of the series.
Renowned medical expert, Dr. Harjas Grewal, speculates that Trenin would enter concussion protocol at a minimum. In the worst of cases, Trenin might be out even longer.
A separated shoulder could mean the end of the postseason for the Wild’s fourth-liner. Such an injury would set him on a week-to-week status. That has yet to be confirmed at the moment. For the time being, Trenin is day-to-day. That’s something that could change.
Trenin’s status for Game 3 remains in the air. While he may have just gotten the wind knocked out of him, the situation could be much more concerning.
Zuccarrello Also Day-to-Day for Wild
As for Zuccarrello, the 38-year-old was a surprise scratch ahead of Game 2. There was no initial reason for Zucarrello missing the game. However, The Hockey News reported that Wild coach John Hynes confirmed that Zuccarrello was a scratch due to an elbow from Tyler Myers.
The hit occurred at the 4:32 mark of the first period. Myers got a minor for the hit. Meanwhile, Zuccarrello stayed in the game, earning the third star of the night for his three assists.
That situation makes the move all the more puzzling. Perhaps the Wild erred on the side of caution with Zuccarrello. Unfortunately, there’s no telling what lingering effects a hit like this may have on a player.
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Minnesota Looking to Take Series Lead at Home
Game 3 will take place on Wednesday night at the Xcel Energy Center. The Wild will be looking to regain the series lead. Minnesota did its part by earning a split in Dallas. That situation allows the Wild to utilize home-ice advantage to potentially grab a commanding 3-1 lead in the series.
If that’s the case, the Wild could be looking to wrap up the series in Dallas. However, by the looks of things, this series could go the distance. It wouldn’t be surprising. Last year’s Dallas-Colorado first-round matchup went the distance with several games going into overtime.
That’s why it wouldn’t be a stretch to see both teams trading wins back and forth. This series figures to be a war of attrition. Whoever makes it to the second round will have to deal with Colorado, on top of the punishment already sustained.
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