Wild missing Eriksson Ek and Brodin for first two games vs. Avs

DENVER – The NHL’s schedule-makers had the Minnesota Wild opening their Round 2 series in Colorado perhaps a day earlier than they had planned. But after Sunday’s Game 1 and Tuesday’s Game 2, both at Ball Arena, the teams will have an unusual three-day break before Game 3, Saturday night at Grand Casino Arena in St. Paul.

For Minnesota, the extra 24 hours of rest before their initial home game of the series might be enough to get them a little healthier as the playoffs go deeper.

Wild coach John Hynes knew he would be without shut-down defenseman Jonas Brodin for the first two games, but prior to Game 1 revealed that second line center Joel Eriksson Ek had also not made the trip to Colorado and under a best-case scenario could play back in Minnesota next weekend.

“Ekky’s a big part of the team. As you go through the course of the season, you’re going to get injuries, and injuries is a part of the game. So when you have a player like him out that plays so many different situations, one player isn’t going to take the brunt of that responsibility,” said Hynes, who had not settled on a lineup as of morning skate on Sunday.

“On his power play responsibility, someone else will have to take that, his centerman 5 on 5, someone else will have to take that, his penalty killing,” Hynes said “When you lose a guy that plays that many situations, you have to do it, I think, collectively as a group, and it’s not all on one guy.”

Brodin left the rink after blocking a shot in the second period of Game 5 in Dallas and has not played since then. Hynes is hopeful the extended break during the week will help his team’s health.

“Obviously, there’s a break between (games) two and three,” he said. “So I think both those guys will be reevaluated and see where it goes from there.”

Eriksson Ek played all six games in Round 1 versus Dallas, scoring three goals, adding two assists and finishing a plus-seven. But he went down awkwardly in the third period of the clinching Game 6 win on Thursday in St. Paul and left the game for a time. He returned to finish the third period but looked to be laboring and will now have at least nine days of rest and recuperation before a possible return to the lineup.

“He’s such a good player. So competitive, does everything for us,” Wild defenseman said. “So obviously, we’re going to miss him, but we got a great team. We’re deep, and we’re just going to have to do it as a committee, and that’s what we’ll do.”