Brodin, Haula sidelined; Vanek-Koivu split, new power-play units tonight vs. Bruins

Good evening from TD Garden, where the Wild visits the Bruin at 7 p.m. ET/6 p.m. CT minus two key players. The game can be seen on NBC Sports Network and heard on KFAN. If you get NESN, I'll be on there at 6:45 p.m. ET.

Just got done with coach Mike Yeo's pregame availability, and here are the highlights:

--Defenseman Jonas Brodin is injured. I mentioned to you after last night's game that he sustained an injury to his hand, but Yeo said he's sore in a couple different spots today and it is very clear that Yeo and GM Chuck Fletcher are fearful Brodin could be hurt somewhat seriously. He'll see the Wild's docs tomorrow.

Justin Falk will make his season debut in Brodin's place tonight. Stu Bickel was also recalled and Keith Ballard and Christian Folin were placed on injured reserve to make room. They can come off whenever they're ready.

"You look at that hit [by Chris Kreider], [Brodin] went into the boards and it's pretty much like being in a car crash, so he's sore today," Yeo said. "He's a really tough kid. It's a pretty amazing that he was able to come back and play last night to be honest with you. We've seen him do this over and over again. He's tough. If he's sore, we're a little bit concerned."

--Kreider wasn't suspended by the NHL, but Rangers defenseman John Moore has been invited for an in-person hearing after being assessed a match penalty for launching his elbow into Erik Haula last night. Moore could be suspended six games or more.

Haula won't play tonight. Kyle Brodziak, scratched in five straight after two pretty decent games to start the season, will play and be given a good opportunity, Yeo said.

"We have to look at the big picture and have to be concerned about the player's health."

-- Yeo will scramble the bottom three lines tonight. I'll update the blog after warmups with the lines, but Yeo would only say that Zach Parise, Mikael Granlund and Jason Pominville won't be broken up.

Lines 2 through 4

Zucker-Koivu-Coyle

Vanek-Brodziak-Niederreiter

Suter is with Spurgeon, Scandella is with Prosser, Falk is with Dumba

But I asked preemptively if he were to split Mikko Koivu and Thomas Vanek, what would be the reason.

"We have to try something different for one," Yeo said. "There's been signs that it might be coming, but there's been other times where it's not coming fast enough. We have to be willing to try different things. It doesn't mean that they wont play together again."

Vanek has one shot the past three games and no goals this season. Other than a seven-shot game in Anaheim, Vanek has two or fewer in the other six.

Asked if that's a concern, Yeo said, "Yeah. I don't want to say concern, but we have to make sure that we're looking at everything we can. He was brought here to add offense and we've definitely seen his playmaking ability and some of the plays he has set up, but we definitely want to find a way on our end to try to get him on the scoresheet in the goal column as well."

"Bottom line, we're starting to get in our own way here, and that's what's bothering me," Yeo said. "I think we have the most power-play shots in the league, and even last night, we probably had 10 power-play shots and we missed the net on four great opportunities, but I didn't like our power play last night at all.

"Some of the things that make us a dangerous group when we're on top of our game, we're starting to lose those things. So we can try any combination we want, but the players have to really figure it out and make sure they have the right focus going out there."

He noted that like the Rangers' PK, the Bruins' PK will read the clips and be ready for a hungry power play. So it's up to the Wild to actually go out there hungry, and he didn't feel the Wild matched the Rangers' PK last night.

-- Parise has a deep, ugly-looking cut on his face from his right nostril to the middle of his upper lip on the right side. Took 10 stitches, and he said he only got real scared when he saw all the blood on his visor and the ice.

But he calmed down once he realized he could see and had his teeth. He returned late in the second, but he said he'll see the docs when he gets back to Minnesota to get them restitched.