Kuemper ready to return, but Wild still missing four others

As awful as Darcy Kuemper had felt 36 hours before, the Wild goalie declared himself fortunate and fine on Sunday morning. "Luckily, it was just food poisoning," Kuemper said of the brief illness that cost him a start against Winnipeg on Saturday. "I'm sure after another day of food and good rest, I'll be 100 percent."

It seemed odd to hear an athlete call himself lucky after spending a day in the throes of gastrointestinal distress. But the way things are going for the Wild, anything less serious than the mumps or norovirus is greeted with a sigh of relief.

While Kuemper said he will be ready to start at Winnipeg on Monday, four teammates will not make the trip north, complicating the Wild's quest to break free of a five-game losing skid.

Defenseman Jonas Brodin and center Mikael Granlund were injured in the third period of Saturday's 4-3 overtime loss to the Jets. Neither practiced Sunday, and Granlund was placed on injured reserve, meaning he will miss at least one week. Winger Jason Zucker and goalie Niklas Backstrom, both of whom still are fighting a stomach ailment, also did not practice. None of the four traveled with the team to Winnipeg on Sunday, and coach Mike Yeo is uncertain when any of them will rejoin the lineup.

The Wild recalled forwards Tyler Graovac and Brett Sutter on Sunday to fill out a roster that had only 11 forwards and six defensemen at Sunday's practice.

Granlund scored his first goal in 10 games Saturday before he was upended along the boards by the Jets' Dustin Byfuglien and landed in a heap; he played briefly with a taped left wrist before leaving the game. Brodin suffered an upper-body injury on a hard check by Winnipeg defenseman Grant Clitsome.

"When you look at what we're losing, it's difficult to replace that," Yeo said. "We're losing a skilled centerman, a guy that's playing an important role offensively but is able to contribute to the defensive part of the game as well.

Sutter is known for his rugged play. Graovac, 21, is a strong, skilled 6-5 center who leads Iowa with 12 goals. Graovac, who will wear No. 53, has yet to play an NHL game. In September, Wild GM Chuck Fletcher called him the most improved player in the organization.

Yeo praised his players for an upbeat, high-energy practice the day after a game in which he saw meaningful progress. Defenseman Marco Scandella noted the Wild did a better job Saturday of controlling the puck, which allowed it to use its speed, and forward Charlie Coyle cited the team's tighter defense and more consistent pressure.

"If we can take another step in the next game, then we're much closer to where we need to be," Yeo said. "We've got the character to get through this. We just absolutely can't have anybody hanging their heads here, allowing disappointment or frustration or anything to get in the way of what we're still capable of."

Yeo said Kuemper looked good in Sunday's practice, and the goalie said he felt energetic despite losing 8 pounds during his illness. Kuemper said he believes he was sickened by some chicken he ate Friday night.

Aside from battling a stomach problem for the second time in 10 days, Kuemper returned from the three-day Christmas break feeling refreshed. As his coach requested, Kuemper turned off all thoughts of hockey during the time off. He spent the holiday with his family in Saskatchewan and said he is eager to start anew after a seven-game stretch in which he has a 4.23 goals-against average and .860 save percentage.