Minnesota Wild center Joel Eriksson Ek made a scoring return to the lineup on Thursday against San Jose, helping the team to a vital 3-1 win. After missing five games because of a lower-body injury, Eriksson Ek had an instant impact, putting the Wild 1-0 up in the first period. Matt Boldy and Ryan Hartman completed the job in the third frame. This was goal No. 30 for Eriksson Ek this season. He's had a superb campaign as the top-line center with 61 points across 67 games, and more will be expected from the Swedish pivot as Minnesota continues to battle for a playoff spot in the Western Conference.
Minnesota Wild center Joel Eriksson Ek (lower body) could possibly return for Saturday's contest versus the St. Louis Blues. The veteran pivot has missed the past four games after getting injured against the Arizona Coyotes on March 12. He skated on Friday, but his participation was limited after he skated on his own prior to the main practice. "If Ek for some reason did not go tomorrow, I would anticipate after those four [off] days [against the San Jose Sharks on March 28], it's a possibility," Wild bench boss John Hynes said on Friday. The 27-year-old is in the midst of a career year offensively, racking up a career-high 29 goals and sits just one point shy of matching his career-high of 61 points set just last season.
Minnesota Wild center Joel Eriksson Ek (lower body) hasn't traveled with the team to St. Louis, meaning he will miss a second consecutive contest on Saturday against the Blues. Minnesota's first-line center, who has posted 60 points (29 goals, 31 assists) in 66 appearances this season, was injured earlier in the week in a clash with Arizona. Ryan Hartman moved to the top line as Eriksson Ek's replacement in Thursday's 2-0 win over Anaheim, while Marcus Johansson rejoined the top six on the second line. Both players have elevated fantasy value until Eriksson Ek's return.
Minnesota Wild center Joel Eriksson Ek left Tuesday's game against Arizona with an undisclosed injury. Eriksson Ek headed down the tunnel following a check by Coyotes forward Nick Bjugstad. He finished with 14:55 of ice time, boasting a plus-one rating with two hits. The Swedish forward has enjoyed his second consecutive 60-point campaign in 2023-24, notching 29 goals and 31 assists in 66 appearances. Marco Rossi could get the call to work as the first-line center if Eriksson Ek isn't available for the next game, which comes on Thursday versus Anaheim.
Joel Eriksson Ek Has Career-Best Performance In Wild Victory
Minnesota Wild center Joel Eriksson Ek had a dominant performance by scoring a hat trick and collecting six points in Monday's 10-7 victory against the Canucks. The first line of Eriksson Ek, Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy combined for seven goals and 16 points in the high scoring contest, while Eriksson Ek and Kaprizov each tied the Wild franchise record for points in a single game. Eriksson Ek previously had a season-high of three points in a contest against the Hurricanes in January, while the 27-year-old forward brought his season totals to 28 goals and 51 points through 55 games.
Minnesota Wild center Joel Eriksson Ek admitted that he tried to play with a broken leg in the first-round playoff series against Dallas. The 26-year-old was injured late in the regular season when he suffered a fractured fibula by blocking a shot with his leg. He was medically cleared to return for Game 3 against the Stars but Eriksson Ek managed to skate for only 19 seconds in the contest and ended up having surgery to fix his broken left leg. His injury was a big blow for Minnesota, as the Wild lost a player who was the team's fourth-highest scorer during the regular season with a career-high 61 points in 78 games. Eriksson Ek is expected to be fully healthy in time for training camp.
Minnesota Wild center Joel Eriksson Ek (undisclosed) is still under evaluation after exiting Friday's Game 3 against Dallas with an injury. The talented centerman made a surprise return from a leg injury but lasted for only 19 seconds in the game. Eriksson Ek had received the green light from the doctors to return, but it's possible that he re-aggravated the injury that kept him out for six games. Minnesota has done well in the series without Eriksson Ek, taking a 2-1 lead, but he has been a key cog in the top six and was fourth in scoring on the team during the regular season with 61 points in 78 games.
Minnesota Wild center Joel Eriksson Ek (lower body) is considered week-to-week after he was hurt in Thursday's clash with the Penguins. The 26-year-old suffered the injury by blocking a shot. It looks like Eriksson Ek is done for the regular season and might not be ready for the start of the playoffs either. It's awful news for the team, as Eriksson Ek has had a big career year with 61 points in 78 games. He's been averaging over a point per game over the last four weeks.
Minnesota Wild center Joel Eriksson Ek failed to complete Thursday's meeting with Pittsburgh due to a lower-body injury. He appeared to have hurt his ankle when it was hit by a slap shot from Pittsburgh's Evgeni Malkin. Eriksson Ek's night ended in the second period after he had recorded only 8:16 of ice time. Minnesota also lost Oskar Sundqvist to a lower-body injury in the contest. Eriksson Ek's injury is obviously the bigger blow, with the 26-year-old a major top-six piece. Eriksson Ek is enjoying a career year with 61 points amassed across 78 outings. It's yet to be determined if he can play Saturday against St. Louis.
Joel Eriksson Ek Leads The Charge Versus Washington
Minnesota Wild center Joel Eriksson Ek was the party starter Sunday against Washington, scoring two goals and delivering an assist while the team rushed to a 4-0 lead before eventually winning 5-1. Jordan Greenway also had a great night with three assists. This was Eriksson Ek's second three-point outing of the season and the first since he scored a hat trick against Winnipeg in the third game of the campaign. He became Minnesota's sixth 20-goal scorer and now has 40 points in 63 games with 183 shots and 118 hits.
Minnesota Wild center Joel Eriksson Ek sustained an upper-body injury in Monday's 7-4 loss to Dallas and could miss a significant period of time. Wild head coach Dean Evason noted after the game that the injury "doesn't look good". Eriksson Ek has been centering the second line for the team, doing plenty of damage at both ends of the ice with 11 goals, 20 points and 51 hits in 30 games. The good news is that Minnesota won't be in action again until at least Dec. 27 and Eriksson Ek has a week to recover, but that, of course, won't help him much if it's a long-term issue.
Joel Eriksson Ek Posts Another Two Point Night In Win
Minnesota Wild center Joel Eriksson Ek did it again on Tuesday night versus the Edmonton Oilers. He had two assists last time out versus the Toronto Maple Leafs. On Tuesday, he opened the scoring just 71 seconds into the game with a power-play goal. If that was not enough, the Swedish forward picked up an assist on the Marcus Foligno tally that made it 2-0. That came a little over six minutes after his goal. The center now has reached double digits in goals with seven assists in 25 games. Also, he is shooting the puck more with 19 shots in his last five games. Eriksson Ek is a must own in all fantasy formats.
Joel Eriksson Ek Bags Two Assists Against Maple Leafs
Minnesota Wild center Joel Eriksson Ek enjoyed his third multi-point outing of the season on Saturday, finishing a 4-3 shootout win over Toronto with two assists. He set up both of his wingers Jordan Greenway and Marcus Foligno for a goal while registering three shots of his own with two penalty minutes and one hit. Eriksson Ek loves to throw his body around and now has 35 hits for the season in 24 games. He's done very well offensively as well, getting nine goals and six assists. The 24-year-old is one of only seven players in the league with at least nine goals and 35 hits.
Minnesota Wild center Joel Eriksson Ek was one of three of the team's players with a goal and an assist in Saturday's high-scoring 5-4 loss to Florida, bagging a power-play goal and tallying an assist. Mats Zuccarello, who finished the scoring in the dying seconds, and Kirill Kaprizov also enjoyed multi-point outings. Eriksson Ek has heated up lately with points in three consecutive games. He's usually good for a few hits as well and had three of them in 17:39 of action on Saturday. He gets a quick chance to extend his point streak, as the Wild are back in action on Sunday against Tampa.
Minnesota Wild center Joel Eriksson Ek recorded a hat trick in Tuesday's 6-5 overtime victory against the Jets. The 24-year-old was credited with the game-tying goal in the final minute of regulation, and completed the hat trick on a perfectly executed three-on-one play in overtime. The top line of Eriksson Ek, Kaprizov and Zuccarello had an incredible game, combining for five goals, five assists and 10 points in the high-scoring contest. Eriksson Ek should be rostered across standard fantasy formats as he will continue to center the top line after signing a long-term extension this past offseason.
Joel Eriksson-Ek Inks Contract Extension With Minnesota
Minnesota Wild forward Joel Eriksson-Ek signed an eight-year, $42 million contract on Friday. He could have become a restricted free agent on July 28. Instead, the contract breaks down to $5.25 million a year for the 24-year-old center. He had the best season of his career in 2020-21, posting 19 goals and 11 assists in 56 regular-season games. Minnesota had an early playoff exit after losing in seven games to the Vegas Golden Knights. Eriksson-Ek picked up three goals and two assists despite the series loss and produced 21 shots on goal.