Minnesota Wild should have two big names back in the lineup on Friday

Will Minnesota Wild center Joel Eriksson Ek have any trouble getting back into a flow with linemates Marcus Foligno and Jordan Greenway after being out with an injury for more than three weeks.?

“I don’t think anything is a challenge for him,” Wild coach Dean Evason said during a media availability session on Wednesday afternoon.

Eriksson Ek, who sustained an upper-body injury during a Dec. 20 matchup with the Dallas Stars is expected to be back on the ice on Friday for the Wild’s matchup with the Anaheim Ducks at the Xcel Energy Center.

“I sure hope so. That’s the plan,” Evason said. “He’s back with Moose and Greeny and they looked good today (in practice).”

He might not be the only star player the Wild get back for the Ducks matchup.

Evason said that unless, “something unforseen happens”,  forward Kirill Kaprizov should make his return as well after he suffered an upper-body injury against the Boston Bruins last Thursday.  The second-year player was on the ice for a team scrimmage, and outside of looking a “little winded” due to the time off, Evason said Kaprizov showed no lasting effect from the hit along the boards he sustained in Boston.

Evason was asked what he would need to see from Kaprizov to show the Russian was ready to return to the lineup.

“I’ve  seen enough,” Evason joked, “but he looked good (in practice). It’s nice to have a lot of bodies back, obviously that we didn’t (have). We thought today’s scrimmage was really good. (The players) competed hard. Not a lot of goals  but the goalies were good and we got a little overtime work as well.”

Eriksson Ek returned to practice on Tuesday and looked to be the same player he was before the injury. Told to stay away from physical contact during practice, Eriksson Ek was battling in the corner for a puck during a drill.

“He can’t stop himself. How great is that?,” Evason asked. “He just competes his butt off and literally he doesn’t know he does it. It’s just natural to him.”

Due to the number of postponements in the Wild schedule due to COVID-19 concerns, Eriksson Ek has missed only three games Minnesota has played. Kaprizov missed last Saturday’s matchup with  the Washington Capitals  — a 3-2 shootout win for the Wild.

Evason said that one was benefit of the wild schedule Minnesota has faced over the past month. It also has allowed the franchise to call up prospects from Iowa  — like Matt Boldy and Marco Rossi — and also move some players into some new roles, especially on special teams.

“It will be interesting in a month when we’re playing how every many games (the league) starts penciling in,” Evason joked. “Maybe (the schedule) will be tight then, but it certainly has been, I guess, the best-case scenario that we haven’t played a heck of a lot of games with these guys out.”