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Wallstedt will guard the road crease in Sunday's Game 1 against the Avalanche, per Tracey Myers of NHL.com.
Wallstedt enters Minnesota's second-round matchup on fire after posting a 3-0-0 record, a 1.81 GAA and a .933 save percentage across the team's last three games of the opening round. Across all six starts he has made in the postseason, the 23-year-old rising star has a 4-2-0 record, a 2.05 GAA and a .924 save percentage. He'll be matched up against Colorado, who scored 13 goals across their four-game sweep of Los Angeles in the first round. Wallstedt put together a mixed bag of results against the Avalanche this season with a 1-1-1 record across four appearances.
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Wild's Joel Eriksson Ek: Out for first two games of Round 2
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Eriksson Ek (lower body) will miss the first two games of Minnesota's second-round series against Colorado, according to Michael Russo of The Athletic on Sunday.
The Wild play in Game 1 against the Avalanche on Sunday, but Eriksson Ek didn't accompany his teammates on the road trip. However, the team is hopeful that Eriksson Ek can return for Game 3 on Saturday. He had three goals, five points, 24 shots on net and 15 hits in six games during Minnesota's first-round series win over Dallas.
Eriksson Ek (lower body) is questionable for Game 1 against Colorado on Sunday, Michael Russo of The Athletic reports.
It's unclear if Eriksson Ek will travel with his teammates ahead of Minnesota's Round 2 series opener against the Avalanche. He fell awkwardly into the boards in Game 6 against Dallas on Thursday, but he managed to return to the contest. However, he didn't participate in Saturday's practice.
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Wild's Jonas Brodin: Won't travel with team
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Brodin (lower body) will miss at least the beginning of Minnesota's second-round series against Colorado, Dylan Loucks of The Hockey News reports Saturday.
Brodin won't accompany the Wild to Colorado ahead of Game 1 on Sunday. He also probably won't be available for Game 2, barring a change to his travel plans, and it's still unclear when he will return to the lineup. He sustained the injury in Tuesday's 4-2 victory against the Stars. Due to Brodin's absence, Jeff Petry played in Thursday's series-clinching 5-2 win over Dallas in Game 6.
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Wild's Vladimir Tarasenko: Finds twine Thursday
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Tarasenko scored a goal on two shots in Thursday's 5-2 win over the Stars in Game 6.
Tarasenko's first goal of these playoffs came at a critical time. The Stars had just taken a 2-1 lead, but Tarasenko answered just 54 seconds later to even the score late in the second period. He's added one assist, 10 shots on net, seven hits and a plus-1 rating over six playoff contests, filling a middle-six role for the most part, though his ice time has decreased since the Wild got Mats Zuccarello and Yakov Trenin back from injuries. Tarasenko had extensive playoff experience prior to this year, earning 49 goals and 24 assists over 121 contests across 11 postseason runs.
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Wild's Matt Boldy: Scores two empty-netters
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Boldy scored two empty-net goals, added five shots on net, blocked two shots and went plus-2 in Thursday's 5-2 win over the Stars in Game 6.
Boldy ended the first round with six goals, three assists, 33 shots on net, nine hits, five blocked shots and a plus-8 rating over six appearances. The 25-year-old winger had an impressive regular season (42 goals, 85 points in 76 outings), and he has carried over that success into the playoffs. Boldy will remain a key figure in the top six and on the power play heading into the second round against the Avalanche.
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Wild's Quinn Hughes: Shines in Game 6 win
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Hughes scored twice on three shots, added an assist, blocked two shots and went plus-2 in Thursday's 5-2 win over the Stars in Game 6.
Hughes' first two goals of the series couldn't come at a better time for the Wild. He opened the scoring at 6:23 of the first period and then added the eventual game-winner midway through the third. He ended the first round with two goals, six helpers, 13 shots on net, six blocked shots and a plus-9 rating over six outings. Hughes will look to keep his offense up while also getting a head-to-head playoff matchup with Cale Makar and the Avalanche in the second round.
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Wild's Jesper Wallstedt: Clinches first-round series
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Wallstedt stopped 21 of 23 shots in Thursday's 5-2 win over the Stars in Game 6.
Wallstedt went 4-2 in the series with a 2.05 GAA and a .924 save percentage over six games. The Wild trailed for just 54 seconds in the decisive Game 6, and a clean third period from Wallstedt helped them secure advancement. It doesn't get any easier in the second round for the 23-year-old goalie, as he'll be tasked with stopping the Avalanche, who won the Presidents' Trophy for the best record in the regular season. A start date for that second-round series has yet to be announced.
Wallstedt will protect the home net versus the Stars in Game 6 on Thursday, Dylan Loucks of The Hockey News reports.
Wallstedt has gone 3-2 in the series, allowing just 12 goals on 162 shots (.926 save percentage). The 23-year-old will get the Wild through the second round, where the Avalanche await, if he can collect another win. Wallstedt's play so far in the postseason suggests he's locked in as the Wild's top goalie.
Brodin (lower body) will not be in the lineup for Game 6 versus Dallas on Thursday, Joe Smith of The Athletic reports.
Brodin will miss his first game of the postseason, having recorded one assist, six shots and 14 blocks in his previous five outings. With the 32-year-old defenseman on the shelf, Jeff Petry will make his playoff debut in a third pairing alongside Zach Bogosian.
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Wild's Jonas Brodin: Status for Game 6 uncertain
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Brodin (lower body) remains questionable for Thursday's Game 6 clash with Dallas, Mike Morreale of NHL.com reports.
Brodin was seen leaving the arena on crutches after Game 5 on Tuesday, which wouldn't seem to indicate a short-term absence, but head coach John Hynes wouldn't completely rule the blueliner out for Game 6. If Brodin can't play, both Daemon Hunt and Jeff Petry will be options to replace him in the lineup.
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Wild's Yakov Trenin: Picks up helper in return
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Trenin registered an assist and seven hits in Tuesday's 4-2 win over the Stars in Game 5.
Trenin missed the last two games due to an upper-body injury, and he returned in a fourth-line spot. The 29-year-old forward's helper was his first this postseason. He earned eight points over 26 playoff outings prior to this year. Trenin had a strong regular season by his standards, earning 23 points -- one off his career high -- and a personal-best 413 hits across 82 appearances.
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Wild's Michael McCarron: Tallies game-winner Tuesday
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McCarron scored a goal and blocked two shots in Tuesday's 4-2 win over the Stars in Game 5.
McCarron's goal at 7:47 of the third period stood as the game-winner. The veteran center has earned two goals, five shots on net, 14 hits, five blocked shots and a plus-1 rating over five contests in this first-round playoff series so far. McCarron was bumped up to the third line for Game 5, as Danila Yurov and Nico Sturm came out of the lineup to make room for wingers Mats Zuccarello and Yakov Trenin each returning from upper-body injuries. McCarron's spot in the lineup isn't in jeopardy, but he's firmly a bottom-six forward.
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Wild's Mats Zuccarello: Scores in return to lineup
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Zuccarello scored a goal on two shots in Tuesday's 4-2 win over the Stars in Game 5.
Zuccarello missed three games due to an upper-body injury. He made his presence felt early in his return, scoring at 3:51 of the first period to give the Wild an early 1-0 lead. He hadn't scored in his last six games, but he totaled 12 assists in that span and will likely lean more to the playmaking side on offense. Zuccarello had 54 points, including 21 on the power play, over 59 regular-season contests while primarily playing on the top line and first power-play unit.
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Wild's Matt Boldy: One of each in Game 5 win
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Boldy scored a power-play goal on seven shots and added an assist in Tuesday's 4-2 win over the Stars in Game 5.
Boldy had one goal overturned for goaltender interference, but he got it back by tallying late in the second period. The 25-year-old also set up a Kirill Kaprizov empty-netter. Boldy has amassed four goals, three assists, 28 shots on net, eight hits and a plus-6 rating across five contests in this first-round series so far, and he'll look to add to his totals in Game 6 on Thursday.
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Wild's Kirill Kaprizov: Racks up three points in win
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Kaprizov scored an empty-net goal on four shots, dished two assists, logged three hits and went plus-2 in Tuesday's 4-2 win over the Stars in Game 5.
That's three multi-point efforts in five games for Kaprizov in this first-round series. The superstar winger has a total of two goals and seven helpers against the Stars, helping to lead the Wild to a 3-2 series lead. He's added 14 shots on net, seven hits and a plus-9 rating.
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