ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Minnesota Wild (1-1) is back in action tonight for Game 3 against the Dallas Stars (1-1). It is the first home game of the series for Minnesota.
Minnesota has had some injuries early in this series, and it will affect them again tonight.
Mats Zuccarello took an elbow to the head in Game 1 and missed Game 2. Yakov Trenin got hit hard in the first period of Game 2 and did not return to that game.
After morning skate on Wednesday, Wild head coach John Hynes said the two would be game-time decisions.
Now that warmups have started, both Trenin and Zuccarello are not on the ice and will not play tonight. That means Bobby Brink will stay in the lineup and Nico Sturm will enter.
Zuccarello, 38, had three assists in Game 1 and plays a huge factor on the Wild's top line with Ryan Hartman and Kirill Kaprizov. Both Kaprizov and Hartman were held off the scoresheet in Game 2 without Zuccarello.
It is a big loss for the Wild to not have Zuccarello in the lineup again. He has two goals and eight points in seven career playoff games against the Stars. In 103 career playoff games, Zuccarello has 19 goals, 42 assists and 61 points in 103 career playoff games.
Wild's Yakov Trenin Exits Game 2 After A Huge Hit From Colin Blackwell Trenin exits Game 2 after a massive collision. Foligno retaliates, igniting tension in a pivotal playoff matchup.
Trenin, 29, led the Wild and the NHL in hits with 413 hits in his first-ever 82-game season. He also set the Wild franchise record for most hits in a single season.
The 6-foot-2 forward was the only Wild player to have played in 82 games. He had 13 hits in Game 1, which set a Wild franchise record for most hits in a single game.
It is a big loss for the Wild to not have the physical forward in the lineup. He has 1,359 career hits in 457 NHL games. In 28 career playoff games, Trenin has 115 hits. Including 50 hits in eight career playoff games with Minnesota.
We will get more of an update from Hynes postgame about the two injuries.
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com.
Wild's Mats Zuccarello Out With An Upper-Body Injury Tonight The <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/minnesota-wild">Minnesota Wild</a> (1-0) is back in action tonight against the <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/dallas-stars">Dallas Stars</a> (0-1) for Game 2.
- Stars' Top Center Remains Out Vs Wild For Next Two Games.
- Jesper Wallstedt Rewards Wild's Confidence In Game 1 Win.
- Wild's Vladimir Tarasenko Has Rediscovered His Scoring Prowess.
- Yakov Trenin Breaks Minnesota Wild Single-Season Hits Record.