Life without Mikko Koivu began Sunday for the Wild.
The team expects to learn more Monday regarding the status of its captain, but according to multiple sources, Koivu has a broken left index finger that might require surgery.
Koivu will be seen Monday by a hand specialist in order to find out if there's damage beyond what's simply shown on X-ray and to determine the best course of treatment.
The early word, sources said, is that Koivu will miss at least three weeks. If he undergoes surgery, sources said he should still return before the regular season ends.
"Mikko's been helping us in every game," goalie Niklas Backstrom said. "We want to step up and help him and make sure we're still in the race or in the playoffs when he comes back."
Koivu, in the press box during Sunday's 2-1 shootout loss to Detroit, was wearing a splint on his left index finger but declined to comment.
He has told people he would be willing to deal with the pain by bandaging it up, but he is unable to grip his stick.
Koivu is a left-shot center, meaning the left hand is lower on the stick and used for pretty much everything, from shooting to leverage on faceoffs.