Jonas Brodin was set to be back in action for the Wild on Tuesday night at Xcel Energy Center when the team was supposed to kick off a three-game homestand against the Hurricanes.
Postponed Wild game delays Jonas Brodin's return to lineup
The Swedish defenseman missed the past two games because of an upper-body injury.
December 14, 2021 at 5:48PM
Brodin missed the past two games because of an injury.
"It was nothing bad, just a little bit upper body," Brodin said. "I knew it was just going to be a couple of days and a couple of games, too. It's nice to be back with the guys again and start playing again."
Defenseman Jordie Benn would have been scratched.
"Players don't want to hear it's tough for coaches to sit a guy out, but it is," coach Dean Evason said about the decision to scratch Benn. "He's played extremely well."
It would have been forward Frederick Gaudreau's second game since he returned from the NHL's COVID protocols. Gaudreau played 11 minutes, 41 seconds on Sunday in the 6-4 loss at Vegas.
"For sure an adjustment," Gaudreau said. "It just takes time, I guess. The faster you get in there, the faster you'll be back feeling normal. It was good to have that game."
The Wild resumes play on Thursday at Xcel Energy Center against Buffalo.
Key numbers:
6: Consecutive wins at home for the Wild.
7: Points for center Joel Eriksson Ek over the last five games.
15: Wins for goalie Cam Talbot, the most in his first 21 starts of a season.
99: Career goals for winger Marcus Foligno.
The Wild prevailed 5-4 on Tuesday night, moving back into first place in the NHL with a hard-fought victory in their first trip to Utah. Matt Boldy scored the winner in the shootout.
