Wild's Parise, Vanek out Games 1-2 vs. Stars
Already facing an uphill battle in their opening-round series against the Central Division champion Dallas Stars, the Minnesota Wild have some extra adversity to deal with. The team confirmed Wednesday that forwards Zach Parise and Thomas Vanek will not travel with the team to Dallas for Games 1 and 2.
Parise’s status to play in the series at all remains in doubt as he is sidelined indefinitely with an upper-body injury. Michael Russo of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reported Monday that the team is preparing to be without their star forward long term as he continues to deal with a back injury.
Vanek, meanwhile, is out week-to-week with an upper-body injury. Making matters worse, forward Erik Haula‘s status for Game 1 is also in doubt as he is listed as day-to-day with a lower-body injury. He will travel with the team to Dallas, however, in hopes of getting into at least one of the first two games of the series.
Losing Parise, Vanek and possibly Haula temporarily is bad news for a team that struggles to score as it is. Of the teams in the Western Conference side of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, none has scored fewer goals per game than the Wild’s average of 2.60.
Parise was the team’s leading goal scorer this year with 25, while Vanek had 18 this season. The team is also losing one of its most versatile forwards without Parise. That’s the part that could be even worse than the lack of goal scoring.
His relentlessness on the forecheck and in applying pressure to opposing defenses will be sorely missed. That combination of work ethic and scoring ability has made him a top playoff performer throughout his career with 68 points in 89 career postseason contests.
There were several instances this season where Parise noticeably struggled. Russo’s report revealed that Parise has been playing through the injury, which had limited his effectiveness. If he’s not healthy, he’s not going to do them much good, meaning they probably shouldn’t try rushing him back.
Others that could help fill the scoring void include Nino Niederreiter and Charlie Coyle, who each topped 20 goals this season, while the team could use an uptick in the goal department from both Jason Zucker and Jason Pominville. Without some substantial performances from guys that fill out the depth, it could be a tough go against the high-scoring Stars.
Having already backed into the playoffs with five straight losses, Minnesota has little time to get things headed in the right direction. Not having Parise or Vanek to help facilitate that turnaround put the Wild’s hopes of an upset in serious jeopardy.
Thomas Vanek and Zach Parise will both miss at least Games 1 and 2 of the Wild’s first-round series. (USATSI)
