- Wild defenseman Jonas Brodin will miss Game 6 against the Stars after blocking a Mikko Rantanen shot in Game 5
- Jeff Petry draws in for his first playoff action since 2021, pairing with Zach Bogosian on the third unit
- Read below for what Minnesota’s blue line looks like with its top shot blocker out one win from the second round
The Wild will try to close out the first round without their top shot blocker.
Head coach John Hynes confirmed Thursday that defenseman Jonas Brodin will not play in Game 6 against the Dallas Stars due to a lower-body injury, per NHL.com’s Dan Rosen. He is listed as day to day. Brodin took a Mikko Rantanen shot off the foot early in the second period of Tuesday’s 4-2 win in Game 5 and didn’t return. He was later seen leaving American Airlines Center on crutches with a walking boot.
That’s a brutal break for a Wild team one win away from advancing to the second round for the first time since 2015.
“It’s really for today,” Hynes said. “It’s one of the things that guys get evaluated and it’s kind of a little bit of a moving target, so that’s why today he’ll be out, but I would classify him as day to day because as the day goes on, tomorrow, there could be an improvement or it could be the same.”
Brodin leads all Wild blueliners and ranks tied for fourth among all postseason skaters with 14 blocked shots. He has been logging 19:41 a night on the second pair next to captain Jared Spurgeon.
Jeff Petry steps in for his first playoff action since July 7, 2021, pairing with Zach Bogosian on the third unit. Jake Middleton moves up to skate with Spurgeon. Petry has been a healthy scratch through the first five games of the series after Minnesota acquired him from Florida back on March 5.
“It’s an opportunity for me to step in and make an impact,” Petry said. “Just make sure that everything is off a strong defensive game and building that from there.”
Up front, Nico Sturm also draws back into the lineup for the Wild after Tuesday’s win in Dallas, slotting between Nick and Marcus Foligno in place of Bobby Brink. Here’s a look at how Game 5 played out:
Minnesota is 4-1 all-time in potential series-clinching playoff games. The Wild haven’t won three straight at home in the postseason since 2014, and a Game 6 finish on home ice would change that and send them into Round 2 for the first time in 11 years.
