The Minnesota Wild avoided catastrophe on Saturday night, as they handedly defeated the Colorado Avalanche 5-1 to cut their series deficit to 2-1. The stars on Minnesota stepped up, such as Kirill Kaprizov and Quinn Hughes. Also, Jesper Wallstedt rebounded after a rough Game 1, this time saving 35 shots in Game 3.
The Wild don't exactly have the healthiest team, as they are without two huge pieces to their team in center Joel Eriksson Ek and defenseman Jonas Brodin. There was promise for Eriksson Ek, as he was practicing with the team last Friday, but head coach John Hynes said he won't start him unless he feels 100 percent. As for Brodin, there's a sense that it is a more long-term injury. But will either be ready for Game 4 on Monday night.
On Monday, hours before puck drop, it was revealed that both Eriksson Ek and Brodin are both out for Game 4 due to their lower body injuries.
Joel Eriksson Ek and Jonas Brodin, both dealing with lower body injuries, will remain out of the Wild’s lineup for Game 4 tonight. Jesper Wallstedt starts. No changes for Minnesota.
— Dan Rosen (@drosennhl) May 11, 2026
Joel Eriksson Ek and Jonas Brodin ruled out for Game 4
Having Eriksson Ek and Brodin back in the lineup would be huge for the Wild, but if Game 3 showed anything, it's that the team could still function without them. So, the team is being a bit more patient, especially when it comes to Eriksson Ek, who is the most likely to return the quickest.
Through the regular season, Eriksson Ek recorded 19 goals and 32 assists through 70 games. In the first round against the Dallas Stars, Eriksson Ek scored three goals and dished out two assists in six games.
As for Brodin, he recorded 18 points (four goals, 14 assists) in 62 regular season games. In five games in the first round against Dallas, Brodin recorded one assist, 14 blocked shots, four takeaways, and two hits.
With both of these players back, the Wild are going to stick with what they had in terms of a lineup in Game 3. The most notable is that Wallstedt will remain the starting goaltender for Game 4, after returning on Saturday when he was benched for Filip Gustavsson.
The Wild will look to even the series in front of their fans on home ice. Thus far, the trip back home has worked wonders for the team's play. Maybe Eriksson Ek will be back at some point during this series.
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