COLUMBUS, OHIO – Veteran goal scorer Dany Heatley stayed behind in Columbus on Sunday night because he will undergo arthroscopic surgery on his left shoulder Tuesday in Cleveland.
Heatley, who dislocated his shoulder when he was driven to the ice at the end of an altercation with San Jose's Marc-Edouard Vlasic on Wednesday, won't necessarily miss the rest of the regular season, coach Mike Yeo said.
The hope is that by having surgery, Heatley's return timetable would be quicker than without it.
While losing the team's third-leading goal scorer is a big blow, the Wild added now critical depth earlier Wednesday when it acquired Buffalo Sabres captain Jason Pominville.
Pominville, who scored a goal and assist in Sunday's 3-0 win at Columbus, took Charlie Coyle's spot on the first line and Coyle took Heatley's position on the third line with Cal Clutterbuck and Kyle Brodziak.
Coyle had a stellar all-around game and scored his sixth goal of the season, and first on the power play.
"We're losing a huge piece there, so you need guys to step up," Yeo said. "What Heater brings is a guy who is puck strong and a guy who can score goals. And I think we saw a lot of those qualities in Charlie Coyle tonight."
MICHAEL RUSSO
