Eriksson Ek registered an assist, three shots on goal, two PIM and two blocked shots in Monday's 3-1 win over the Kings.
Eriksson Ek helped out on a Ryan Hartman tally late in the second period, which ended up being the game-winner. The helper was Eriksson Ek's second in as many contests, but he's been limited to three assists over eight games in April. The center has put together a career year with 64 points, 266 shots on net, 167 hits, 60 PIM and a plus-18 rating, all personal bests, in 76 outings, but he's faded late in the campaign.
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Wild's Joel Eriksson Ek: Draws power-play helper
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Eriksson Ek notched a power-play assist and two shots on goal in Saturday's 6-2 win over the Sharks.
Eriksson Ek has been quiet since his return from a lower-body injury, posting just three points over nine contests. The 27-year-old helped out on a Kirill Kaprizov tally in the second period. Eriksson Ek is at a career-high 63 points with 263 shots on net, 167 hits, 53 blocked shots, 58 PIM and a plus-18 rating through 75 appearances. Despite his recent struggles, he remains in a top-line role.
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Wild's Joel Eriksson Ek: Nets 30th goal in return
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Eriksson Ek scored a goal on three shots in Thursday's 3-1 win over the Sharks.
After missing Minnesota's last five games with a lower-body injury, Eriksson Ek opened the scoring late in the first period Thursday, burying a net-front feed from Kirill Kaprizov for his 30th goal of the year, a new career best. Eriksson Ek had six points (one goal, five assists) in five contests prior to his injury. He's matched a career high with 61 points (30 goals, 31 assists) through 67 games this season.
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Wild's Joel Eriksson Ek: Playing Thursday
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Eriksson Ek (lower body) will be in the lineup against San Jose on Thursday, Michael Russo of The Athletic reports.
Eriksson Ek returns following a five-game stint on the shelf due to his lower-body problem. While the 27-year-old center has scored just one goal in his last 11 games, he did rack up eight assists over that stretch. In addition to slotting into a top-line role, Eriksson Ek figures to also be on the No. 1 power-play unit against the Sharks.
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Wild's Joel Eriksson Ek: Possible for Thursday
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Eriksson Ek (lower body) took part in Tuesday's practice and could return to action Thursday versus San Jose, Michael Russo of The Athletic reports.
Eriksson Ek has missed the past five games due to a lower-body issue. He has accumulated 29 goals, 60 points, 232 shots on net and 154 hits across 66 games this season. Once he is cleared to return, Eriksson Ek will likely skate on the top line and work on the first power-play unit.
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Wild's Joel Eriksson Ek: Not playing Saturday
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Eriksson Ek (lower body) won't play Saturday against St. Louis, Michael Russo of The Athletic reports.
Eriksson Ek will miss his fifth consecutive contest. He has compiled 29 goals, 60 points, 232 shots on net and 154 hits over 66 games this season. His next chance to play will be Thursday versus the Sharks.
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Wild's Joel Eriksson Ek: Expected to remain out
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Eriksson Ek (lower body) is set to miss out on the rest of the Wild's road trip, Michael Russo of The Athletic reports Monday.
Eriksson Ek was originally slated to return during the team's five-game road trip, but it seems that is no longer the case. With the 27-year-old center remaining on the shelf, Marco Rossi figures to stay in the second-line center role, though newcomer Marat Khusnutdinov could also push for more opportunities.
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Wild's Joel Eriksson Ek: Could join team in California
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Eriksson Ek (lower body) won't play Saturday in St. Louis but may rejoin the Wild during the remainder of their road trip in California, Jessi Pierce of NHL.com reports.
Eriksson Ek is guaranteed to miss a second game with the injury, but a specific timeline for his return has yet to be established. The Wild visit the Ducks on Tuesday and the Kings on Wednesday before returning home to face the Blues again March 23. Eriksson Ek's absence has allowed Ryan Hartman to get onto the top line.
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Wild's Joel Eriksson Ek: Set to miss time
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Eriksson Ek (undisclosed) is set to miss "a few" games, Michael Russo of The Athletic reports.
Russo adds that Eriksson Ek dodged a worst-case scenario, but the Wild will still be without their top center for a bit. Marat Khusnutdinov could be in line to make his NHL debut during Eriksson Ek's absence.
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Wild's Joel Eriksson Ek: Injured in Tuesday's game
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Eriksson Ek (undisclosed) didn't finish Tuesday's game versus the Coyotes, and there was no update on his status after the contest, Michael Russo of The Athletic reports.
The nature of Eriksson Ek's injury is not known. The 27-year-old's status should be updated prior to Thursday's game versus the Ducks. If he can't play, Adam Beckman might enter the lineup, while Marco Rossi would be in line for a bigger role.
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Wild's Joel Eriksson Ek: Two helpers against Preds
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Eriksson Ek picked up two assists, one on the power play, in Sunday's 4-3 overtime win over the Predators.
He also chipped in nine faceoff wins on 17 draws, four hits, two shots on net, two blocked shots, two PIM and a plus-1 rating. Eriksson Ek has gotten onto the scoresheet in four straight games, and over the last 15 contests he's racked up an impressive eight goals and 21 points.
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Wild's Joel Eriksson Ek: Busts goal drought
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Eriksson Ek scored the game-winner and added an assist in Thursday's 5-2 win over Arizona.
That's Eriksson Ek's 29th tally of the season and snaps a seven-game skid. That seven-game goal drought came on the heels of a hat trick and a four-game stretch over which he scored seven times. While he has 57 points in 63 games, Eriksson Ek can run hot and cold in terms of offensive production. Though, in terms of his utility to the Wild, he's always logging big, important minutes.
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Wild's Joel Eriksson Ek: Returns from injury
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Eriksson Ek had three hits and four shots on net in a 3-2 loss to the Hurricanes on Tuesday.
After leaving Saturday's game with an undisclosed injury, Eriksson Ek returned to his regular spot on the first line centering Matt Boldy and Kirill Kaprizov. Failing to pick up a point, the 27-year-old center saw his six-game point streak come to a close. If he continues to receive top-line minutes and maintain his current level of play, he could easily surpass his previous career high of 61 points.
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Wild's Joel Eriksson Ek: Good to go
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Eriksson Ek (undisclosed) is good to go for Tuesday's game versus the Hurricanes, Michael Russo of The Athletic reports.
Eriksson Ek exited Saturday's 5-2 win over Seattle in the third period after falling awkwardly along the boards, but he's feeling fine ahead of Tuesday's contest. The 27-year-old pivot has been on fire recently, racking up seven goals and 15 points during his active eight-game point streak.
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Wild's Joel Eriksson Ek: Hurt in Saturday's contest
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Eriksson Ek (undisclosed) went down awkwardly along the boards in the third period and did not finish Saturday's game versus the Kraken, Michael Russo of The Athletic reports.
Coach John Hynes said after the contest that Eriksson Ek "should be good," according to Darren Brown of NHL.com, so the Wild forward could be fine for Tuesday's matchup versus Carolina. The center had an assist Saturday, his 15th point over the last eight appearances and his 54th point through 58 outings overall.
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Wild's Joel Eriksson Ek: Lends helper in win
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Eriksson Ek produced an assist, two hits, two PIM and a plus-2 rating in Friday's 4-2 win over the Oilers.
Eriksson Ek has seven goals and seven assists during his seven-game point streak. The 27-year-old center has shown excellent chemistry with Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy on the top line since the trio was assembled shortly after the All-Star break. Eriksson Ek is on pace for a career year with 53 points, 208 shots on net, 127 hits, 44 blocked shots and a plus-15 rating through 57 outings. He's looking like a true power forward with a solid two-way game.
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Wild's Joel Eriksson Ek: Produces six points in win
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Eriksson Ek put up three goals and three assists in Monday's 10-7 win over the Canucks.
With the Wild down 2-0 in the first period, Eriksson Ek tallied to get Minnesota on the board. The Wild eventually fell behind 5-2 in the second frame but Minnesota scored a flurry of goals from there, scoring six consecutive goals, including the last two goals of Eriksson Ek's hat trick, which both came on the power play. The 27-year old center also added three helpers, four shots on net, one hit, two PIM and a plus-2 rating in 21:23 of ice time. Eriksson Ek is now riding a five-game point streak, scoring seven goals and adding five assists over that span.
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Wild's Joel Eriksson Ek: Four-game, six-point streak
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Eriksson Ek scored a goal Saturday in a 3-2 overtime loss to the Sabres.
He tied the game 1-1 early in the third frame with a wrist shot from the slot after a drop pass from Kirill Kaprizov. Eriksson Ek's 25th goal of the season extended his point streak to four games. He has four goals and two assists during that span and has lit the lamp in three straight outings. He's one goal from tying his career mark set in 2021-22. Eriksson Ek has upped his shot volume significantly this season, pacing toward a total that would flirt with the 300 mark for the first time in his career. He also sits eighth in the NHL in faceoff wins (541) but is still working on his technique, as he's the only guy in the top 19 in that category who wins less than 50 percent of the time (49.7). The growth in his game is obvious, and Eriksson Ek has quietly become one of the best two-way pivots in the NHL.
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Wild's Joel Eriksson Ek: Two points in Wednesday's win
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Eriksson Ek scored a power-play goal on three shots, added an assist and logged four hits in Wednesday's 3-1 win over the Coyotes.
This was Eriksson Ek's second straight multi-point effort and his sixth such game in his last 11 outings. The 27-year-old is up to 24 goals, 44 points, 196 shots on net, 108 hits, 40 PIM and a plus-14 rating through 53 appearances. He's getting a boost while centering Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy on the top line, so Eriksson Ek is a strong fantasy play.
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Wild's Joel Eriksson Ek: Nets pair of goals Monday
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Eriksson Ek scored two goals on four shots and added two PIM in Monday's 5-3 win over the Golden Knights.
Eriksson Ek gave the Wild a 2-1 lead in the first period and added an empty-netter to seal the win in the third. The 27-year-old center is surging with eight goals and 14 points over his last 10 outings while seeing top-line usage in a majority of those games. On the year, he's produced 23 tallies, 42 points, 193 shots on net, 102 hits, 40 PIM and a plus-13 rating through 52 appearances, putting him on track to finish around the 61-point campaign he had in 2022-23.
