Wild’s Joel Eriksson Ek leaves game with injury

Minnesota Wild forward Joel Eriksson Ek left Thursday’s game against the Toronto Maple Leafs with an injury.

Eriksson Ek, 29, suffered the injury midway through the second period after he collided with Leafs defenseman Jake McCabe. He struggled to get up and needed help off the ice.

He did not return for the third period. He finished the game with three shots and two hits in 10:52 of ice time.

Going into Thursday night, Eriksson Ek had six goals and 11 assists for 17 points in 20 games in 2026-27. Through 11 NHL seasons, the Karlstad, Sweden, native has 161 goals and 206 assists for 367 points in 634 career regular-season contests.

Eriksson Ek, who was selected No. 20 overall by Minnesota in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft, has recorded two 60-point campaigns in his career, and recorded career highs in 2023-24 with 30 goals and 64 points.

He’s also played in 38 Stanley Cup Playoff games and has recorded nine goals and nine assists for 18 points.

Internationally, he’s represented Sweden on a number of occasions, including the 2026 Winter Olympics, 2025 4 Nations Face-Off and 2017 World Juniors. He earned a gold medal at the 2017 World Championships and a bronze medal in 2024.

Ahead of Thursday’s game, the Wild were 13-3-4 with 30 points, first in the Central Division, second in the Western Conference and the third-best record in the NHL.

Forward Kirill Kaprizov leads the team with 18 goals and 32 points and is second among all NHL skaters in goals. Meanwhile, defenseman Quinn Hughes is second among all NHL defenders in goals (six), assists (21) and points (27).