Wild’s Jonas Brodin Out Day-To-Day With Lower-Body Injury
The Minnesota Wild will be forced to make a change on defense ahead of a potentially-decisive Game 6. Top-four defender Jonas Brodin will be forced to miss the outing due to a day-to-day, lower-body injury sustained in Game 5 per NHL.com’s Dan Rosen. The injury occurred when Brodin blocked a shot from Stars winger Mikko Rantanen. He left the game with two minutes left in the second period and did not return.
Brodin has averaged 19:41 in ice time through five games this series. He has had a quiet postseason, with just one assist, four penalty minutes, and 14 shot blocks in five games. Brodin has still shined as a defensive impact, on the ice for four goals-for and two goals-against at even-strength.
His role has quelled significantly after averaging nearly 23 minutes of ice time through the 2024-25 season. That step down the depth chart is largely thanks to Minnesota’s newly-christened top pair of Quinn Hughes and Brock Faber, who are two of only four players averaging more than 30 minutes of ice time in the postseason. Both defenders have five points in as many games in these playoffs. Their presence, alongside Wild captain Jared Spurgeon, should help the Wild mitigate Brodin’s hole at even-strength and on the penalty-kill.
Jacob Middleton will move up to a second-pair role next to Spurgeon. Middleton recorded 16 points and a plus-two in 75 regular season games and has since notched one point and a plus-three in the postseason. He led all Wild defensemen with 87 hits through the regular season, underlining the physical and defense-first presence Middleton brings to the lineup.
Jeff Petry will come down from the press box in Brodin’s absence, playing in his first postseason game since 2021. Petry joined the Wild just ahead of the Trade Deadline and has scored one assist and a minus-five in nine games since. He has lost some spark in the sunset years of his career but has a career-long stat line of 13 points and a minus-two in 48 postseason games. He should offer a puck-moving boost to the third-pair.
Even with replacements at the ready, Minnesota will still need Hughes, Faber, and Spurgeon to step up if they want to seal the first round on Thursday. If they do, they could buy enough time for Brodin to recover from his injury before the start of the second round.
Mats Zuccarello, Yakov Trenin Return To Wild Lineup
Boston Bruins forward Viktor Arvidsson has been ruled out for Game 5 in Buffalo, reported by Amalie Benjamin, Senior Writer at the NHL. He did not travel with the team.
The 33-year-old left in Game 4 with an upper-body injury, absorbing a hard hit from Mattias Samuelsson. Unfortunately such injuries are common for the feisty winger, who has played in more than 70 regular season games just once since 2017-18. When healthy, the Swede found his game as a Bruin, bouncing back in a big way with 25 goals and 54 points in 69 games.
Arvidsson’s Bruins are on the brink of elimination, but he’s done his part with two tallies in the series. He’ll hope they can extend their season tonight and buy enough time for a potential return, as soon as Game 6 on Friday, if necessary.
Elsewhere across the league:
- Also in Boston, top prospect James Hagens is a healthy scratch for the possible elimination game, indicated by lines shared by Belle Fraser, Multimedia Producer. Alex Steeves slots in on the third line. The 19-year-old appeared in the first three games of the series, but a dip in ice time in the third spelled a scratch last Sunday. With Arvidsson out, there’s naturally the temptation to ice Hagens for a spark, but instead Steeves gets the call for his NHL playoff debut. Steeves, 26, posted 16 points in 43 games this season, his first in Boston. A more defensive minded bottom sixer, he doesn’t quite bring the same excitement as Hagens, but is a bit more trustworthy compared to a rookie who was playing for Boston College just last month. Steeves won’t be the only one making his playoff debut wearing the black and yellow tonight, as Henri Jokiharju replaces Jordan Harris. The 26-year-old defenseman has nearly 500 games of experience prior to his first playoff action tonight, much of which came as a Buffalo Sabre.
- It appears that the Minnesota Wild will welcome back forwards Mats Zuccarello and Yakov Trenin for Game 5 in Dallas, as Joe O’Donnell, Radio Broadcaster, observed the duo in warmups. The 38-year-old Zuccarello hasn’t played since Game 1 with an upper-body-injury, catching an elbow from Dallas’ Tyler Myers. As for Trenin, the 6’4” grinder usually known for dishing out hits absorbed a massive open ice check from 5’8” Colin Blackwell, the two former Nashville teammates, and left with an upper-body injury. Trenin had to miss the last two contests, but will seek vengeance in a pivotal contest between the teams split two wins apiece.
Latest Wild Injury Updates
Dallas Stars head coach Glen Gulutzan updated the media on the status of multiple injured Stars players today. Star defenseman Miro Heiskanen did not skate today but that was only since it was a scheduled maintenance day – he will play in game five against the Minnesota Wild tomorrow. Nils Lundkvist, who suffered a deep facial laceration, won’t play tomorrow, but Gulutzan expressed optimism that he’d be back before the end of the series. Roope Hintz, who has been sidelined since March 8 with a lower-body injury, is progressing and skating on his own but doesn’t have an imminent expected return date.
- Injured Wild forward Mats Zuccarello practiced with the team today, something that head coach John Hynes told the media was a “good sign” for his availability for game five, relays Joe Smith of The Athletic. Zuccarello has played in just one game of the Wild’s first-round series and is day-to-day with an upper-body injury. Also day-to-day is veteran Yakov Trenin, who was forced out of game two with an upper-body injury. Zuccarello, 38, is one of the Wild’s top offensive options while Trenin is a bottom-six staple.
Mats Zuccarello Misses Third Straight Game
In the second period of tonight’s game between the Dallas Stars and Minnesota Wild, Stars defenseman Nils Lundkvist left the contest after taking a skate to the face. Lundkvist was fighting for a puck with Michael McCarron toward Dallas’ net, and McCarron’s skate hit Lundkvist in the left cheek as both were falling to the ice.
- Moving to the other side of the now-even series between the Stars and Wild, the latter team was without Mats Zuccarello for the third consecutive game. Michael Russo of The Athletic indicated that Zuccarello had been elevated to a game-time decision for tonight’s contest, but was still battling lingering effects from being elbowed in the head by Dallas defenseman Tyler Myers.
Central Notes: Manson, Zuccarello, Trenin
Despite taking a commanding 3-0 series lead against the Los Angeles Kings, the Colorado Avalanche are already dealing with injury concerns. According to Evan Rawal of The Denver Gazette, top-four defenseman Josh Manson is being evaluated for an upper-body injury and could miss Game 4.
Manson suffered the injury scare early in Game 3, being on the receiving end of a hit from Kings defenseman Joel Edmundson. Manson attempted to return to the game, though he was largely sheltered due to his discomfort. He finished the contest with one assist in 4:57 of ice time with one hit and one giveaway.
Although there is never a good time for injuries, the Avalanche have put themselves in a good position to absorb one. Yes, the team is potentially losing a formidable top-four defenseman. Still, with only one more win needed to advance to Round Two, they can likely sweep Los Angeles, giving Manson a larger gap to rest in between games. Colorado acquired Nick Blankenburg at the deadline for exactly this reason, who will likely fill in for Manson if he should be ruled out for Game 4. Blankenburg scored eight goals and 24 points in 61 games split between the Nashville Predators and the Avalanche this season.
Additional notes from the Central Division:
- According to Mike Morreale of the NHL, Minnesota Wild veteran winger Mats Zuccarello has been upgraded to a game-time decision for Game 4. Although he’s not the main driver of offense in Minnesota, the Wild didn’t win either of the two games that Zuccarello missed due to his upper-body injury. If he does return, he’ll look to pick up where he left off in Game 1, when he registered three assists in 16:41 of ice time.
- Unfortunately, it’s not all good news on the injury front for the Wild. In the same report from Morreale, the senior draft writer indicated that Yakov Trenin has been ruled out for Game 4. Throughout the entire regular season, Trenin played all 82 games and has not missed back-to-back games since last year. Still, he was fairly quiet during the first two games of the series, going scoreless in 16:38 of ice time, but he did deliver 16 hits.
Latest On Mats Zuccarello, Yakov Trenin
- Minnesota Wild forwards Mats Zuccarello and Yakov Trenin will be game-time decisions in advance of game three tonight against the Dallas Stars, reports Michael Russo of The Athletic. According to Russo, if one of the pair is unable to play, Nico Sturm will draw into the lineup in their place. Zuccarello played game one against the Stars but missed game two with an upper-body injury. He’s one of the Wild’s top offensive players when healthy, having scored 54 points in 59 games this season. Trenin is managing an upper-body injury, and could be at risk of missing a game this season for the first time.
Zuccarello Out With Upper-Body Injury
The Wild found themselves without a key winger in the second game of their series tonight against Dallas. Before the game, the team announced (Twitter link) that Mats Zuccarello is listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury. The 38-year-old finished third on the team in scoring this season despite missing 23 games, posting 15 goals and 39 assists in 18:39 per game of playing time. He had a productive start to the playoffs as well, notching three helpers in the opening game of the series but was injured late in the game. Bobby Brink, one of their trade deadline pickups, took Zuccarello’s place in the lineup.
- In his end-of-season press conference today (video link), Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff was asked about the future of head coach Scott Arniel. He ultimately didn’t give a definitive answer, citing the need to still meet with the coaching staff and continue to evaluate. Arniel has been Winnipeg’s head coach for two seasons now. The first one went quite well as they finished first overall but fell in the second round. However, this year, they were out of contention early and while they made a push late, they fell short of a Wild Card spot. That has led to some calls for some changes, including from star netminder Connor Hellebuyck, who lamented the team’s complacency. We won’t know for a while yet if one of those changes will be behind the bench.
Wild Recall Seven Players
The Minnesota Wild have stocked their cupboard of black aces as Game 2 of the first round approaches. Minnesota has recalled forwards Nicolas Aube-Kubel, Hunter Haight, and Ben Jones; defensemen Carson Lambos and David Spacek; and goaltenders Riley Mercer and Chase Wutzke from the AHL per Michael Russo of The Athletic. The cohort will move to the NHL after the AHL’s Iowa Wild missed out on the 2026 Calder Cup Playoffs.
The trio of forwards were the only ones to score multiple points in the NHL this season. Jones filled a routine role on Minnesota’s fourth line. He racked up three points while playing a career-high 28 NHL games, and added 32 points in 37 AHL games. Aube-Kubel and Haight spent the bulk of their seasons in the minors. Both scored two points in six and nine games, respectively. Aube-Kubel also filled a major presence in the AHL, where his 15 goals and 37 points in 62 games ranked second on Iowa in scoring. He was a main puck-mover for the minor-league Wild. Haight filled a more well-rounded role en route to 18 goals and 32 points in 54 games. He was a depth defensive center for Minnesota through a series of injury-related recalls. All three players will bring familiarity with Minnesota’s bottom six to the playoff race, but still aren’t likely to step into the lineup without an injury higher up on the depth chart.
Spacek was also a notable member of Iowa this season. He led the defense in scoring with 36 points in 59 games. It was a notable step forward for the third-year pro, marked by Spacek looking noticeably more confident on both sides of the puck. The 23-year-old also played the first two NHL games of his career this season, but managed no scoring and a minus-one. Even with limited experience, Spacek could have a leg up on former first-round pick Lambos, who only reached 19 points in 70 AHL games this season. Lambos also made his NHL debut this season, and recorded a plus-one, but he was quickly sent back to the minor leagues.
While the quartet of skaters size up their NHL experience, the pair of goalie call-ups will prepare for their first chance to make an impact on the Minnesota roster. Neither Mercer nor Wutzke played in the NHL this season. In fact, the duo only combined for nine AHL games on the year. Mercer spent the bulk of the year starting for the ECHL’s Iowa Heartlanders, where he posted 14 wins and a .892 save percentage in 40 games. He tacked on four wins and a .899 Sv% in eight AHL games. Wutzke moved to the AHL following the end of his fifth season in the WHL earlier this year. He racked up 16 wins and a .898 Sv% across 47 games in the WHL, then allowed six goals on 37 shots in his AHL debut. The duo aren’t likely to be called upon unless absolutely necessary but bring just enough experience to help Minnesota shore up their postseason depth chart.
Minnesota took Game 1 against the Dallas Stars by a confident 6-1 score. Their lineup fired on all cylinders, spurred along by the performance of their star scorers. They will look to repeat that feat in Monday night’s Game 2, with a few more faces watching from the press box.
Morning Notes: Maatta, Martone, Faber
Flames defenseman Olli Määttä is the first NHLer officially named to Finland’s roster for next month’s World Championship, according to an announcement from the national program. The tournament kicks off in Switzerland on May 15. It will be the shutdown rearguard’s fourth appearance for his country at the Worlds and his first since 2024.
While he went to the event three times in a four-year span, his only miss in that frame coincided with the country’s most recent gold medal in 2022. Now a fixture on the national team, Määttä has donned Finland’s colors at last year’s 4 Nations Face-Off as well as this year’s Winter Olympics. He took home a silver medal with Finland at the 2021 Worlds. He has a 1-9–10 scoring line and a +3 rating in 26 career games at the event.
After sitting most of the season in the Mammoth’s press box, Calgary picked him up as a contract dump in the MacKenzie Weegar trade. The 31-year-old excelled down the stretch, averaging 22:30 per night on a paper-thin Flames blue line while potting 14 points and a -1 rating in 21 games. All of that offense came at even strength, as well. Signed for two more seasons at a cap hit of $3.5MM, he’ll be an everyday option once again next season in a Calgary pool largely devoid of long-term impact lefties outside of top-pair fixture Kevin Bahl and the emerging Yan Kuznetsov.
More from around the league as the first Game 2s of the first round get underway tonight:
- Flyers winger Porter Martone‘s arrival has been one of the best stories over the past few weeks. The 2025 sixth overall pick finished his season with 10 points through his first nine career games following his exodus from Michigan State, and he followed that up with the game-winning goal Saturday for the Flyers’ first postseason victory in six years. Yesterday, he told Kevin Kurz of The Athletic that he’s been relying on support from a close friend and another standout rookie – Islanders Calder Trophy shoo-in Matthew Schaefer – for advice throughout the year. He credits those talks for helping him exhibit the confidence he’s put on display thus far. “I think the big thing that made him successful was, he was himself,” Martone told Kurz. “You see how much of an impact he made on that organization, how much he contributed to that team. For me, that’s what I try to do coming here. Just be who I am, as a player and as a person.”
- Wild defenseman Brock Faber was initially quite unhappy with the organization’s decision to sit him for “forced rest” for the final two games of the regular season, but he’s quickly changed his tune on that following their Game 1 win over the Stars on Saturday, he tells The Athletic’s Michael Russo. “I think everyone was kind of in the same boat there, where you hate to watch the game from the stands but when you get told that’s what you’re doing, I think you can kind of look at it one of two ways,” Faber said. “We did take advantage of the rest. Obviously, it’s been a long year for us and we just needed to do everything we could to prepare for this series and hopefully a long run here. So I think that’s what we did, and it was definitely beneficial.” Faber recorded his first career playoff point in the win, along with a league-high +4 rating.
Zach Bogosian Returns From Injury
- Veteran defenseman Zach Bogosian made his return to the lineup in the Minnesota Wild’s blowout win over the Dallas Stars (via Michael Russo of The Athletic). Bogosian, 35, had been nursing a lower-body injury from the Wild’s April 4th matchup against the Ottawa Senators. He skated in 13:01 of today’s game, blocking two shots and delivering two hits.
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