The Wild played most of the game without two of their top six forwards but managed to dispatch the Canadiens thanks to Matt Boldy.

Joel Eriksson Ek took four shifts in the first period. With 5:03 left on the clock in the first period, Eriksson Ek was being looked at by Wild Head Athletic Trainer John Worley. He ended up going down the tunnel during a TV timeout and did not return for the rest of the first period.

The Wild head toward a big game against Dallas with one of the NHL’s best records but also with health concerns after Joel Eriksson Ek and Mats Zuccarello exited injured.