ST. PAUL, Minn. – With the power play having scored only once in the past three games and the No. 1 unit providing no goals on 15 tries in the three games Mats Zuccarello missed, the injured Wild playmaker looks like he’s readying to come to the rescue.
Zuccarello practiced Monday for the first time since being elbowed in the face in Game 1 of the Wild-Stars series and all indications are he’ll return for Game 5 Tuesday night in Dallas. For the record, coach John Hynes said he and Yakov Trenin, who was injured in Game 2 and also practiced Monday, are questionable and the team will see how they responded to practice in the morning.
But during a practice that was only mandatory for power-play personnel, every player but Marcus Foligno and Zach Bogosian practiced, and Zuccarello resumed his normal role on the No. 1 unit. He then essentially oversaw a meeting by the bench with the four other members of the unit – Kirill Kaprizov, Quinn Hughes, Matt Boldy and Joel Eriksson Ek – for five minutes.
Zuccarello, who finished Game 1 with three assists all after the elbow he took from defenseman Tyler Myers, wasn’t available for official comment. But symptoms arose two days later once he took part in the pregame skate for Game 2. After he reported that to trainers, he was put into concussion protocol.
“Obviously he’s a big part of our team, big, big part of our power play,” Hughes said. “I think he’s the oldest guy on our team, so he’s got a lot of experience, a lot of playoff experience, Cup finals. Really well respected great guy. So obviously it’s important to have him back.”
This could do wonders for Kirill Kaprizov, Zuccarello’s linemate for most of Kaprizov’s six seasons with the Wild. After a goal and two assists in Game 1, he has no goals, three assists and eight shots in the past three games.
But the power play is becoming more of an issue without Zuccarello as Vladimir Tarasenko and Bobby Brink didn’t look to fit in. But Zuccarello, who is often the brains of the operations, clearly spotted a few things while being out of the lineup and talked them through during his individual meeting with his fellow No. 1 unit personnel. A lot of times, Hynes said, it’s little subtleties.
“He’s got a lot of experience and really smart player,” Hynes said of the 38-year-old. “Knows the game. It’s nice to have him back. I think the combination of his experience, his hockey sense and his personality are all things that you always welcome back into the group.”
While Hughes wasn’t ready to divulge what was said and what’s been going wrong in the heart of a playoff series where he doesn’t want to reveal intel to the Stars, Hughes simply conceded the power play must be better.
“All of us have played in playoff hockey,” Hughes said. “We all know that you’re gonna need the power play to win. I think that if anything gives us confidence, it’s knowing that it’s 2-2 in the series. We’re playing good hockey, five-on-five, and so are they. But if we can get our power play going, that might really help us.”
The Wild are plus-6 at five-on-five in the series (9-3) and minus-5 on the power play (8-3). As Hughes said, that big of swing would often lead to a 3-1 series, not 2-2.
“So we’re playing good hockey, and obviously we need the power play,” he said.
If Zuccarello returns to the lineup, it’ll be interesting who comes out. Brink skated with the second unit, which makes it seem like he’d remain in the lineup and move to the third line. If Trenin returns, two players would have to come out. There were signs during Monday’s practice that if both players return, Danila Yurov and Nico Sturm could come out of the lineup.
