SEATTLE \u2014 The big hit on Mats Zuccarello in the first period certainly changed the feel of Monday night\u2019s Wild-Kraken game.<\/p>\n
Vince Dunn\u2019s huge open-ice hit on Zuccarello with five minutes left in the first period dropped the veteran winger to the ice. Dunn, the Kraken defenseman, went in for a shoulder-to-shoulder hit, but he made contact with Zuccarello\u2019s head. Zuccarello skated off on his own but didn\u2019t return.<\/p>\n
Wild coach John Hynes said afterward that Zuccarello is \u201cdoing okay\u201d but didn\u2019t know his timeline.<\/p>\n
\nDunn hit on Zuccarello pic.twitter.com\/5jPq7soJdy<\/a><\/p>\n
\u2014 Spoked Z (@SpokedZ) December 9, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Danila Yurov and several other teammates, including Kirill Kaprizov, rushed to Zuccarello\u2019s defense. Yurov dropped his gloves and got a double minor for roughing. Dunn didn\u2019t get a major, just a two-minute roughing penalty.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a hard hit,\u201d Kaprizov said. \u201cI just hope he\u2019s feeling good and can play as fast as he can. I don\u2019t know, it\u2019s tough.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Wild were ticked off. And they had to play with just 10 forwards the rest of the game. But at the end of a tough, four-game, seven-day trip, Minnesota showed a lot of guts in finding a way to pull out a 4-1 win at Climate Pledge Arena.<\/p>\n
They had lost three of the last four, including two in a row to bottom-dwelling teams like Calgary and Vancouver. So it felt good to wrap up the trip 2-2.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe dug in there,\u201d Marcus Johansson said. \u201cI think we showed a lot of character and grit today, and it was a fun game and a big two points.\u201d<\/p>\n
Johansson scored the winner eight minutes into the third on a slick re-direction of a Joel Eriksson Ek pass. Eriksson Ek, the No. 1 star of the game, had a goal and two assists. Kaprizov and Vladimir Tarasenko added empty net goals, and Filip Gustavsson was steady, making 10 of his 23 saves in the third period.<\/p>\n
The Wild struck back against Dunn \u2014 Ryan Hartman tried to initiate a fight with him in the final 10 seconds of the first period. But, for the most part, Minnesota stayed composed, not going over the line.<\/p>\n
\u201cI liked our response in the fact we played hard and played smart,\u201d Hynes said. \u201cThat\u2019s what you want to do in those situations. Answer with a little physicality of our own, but that competitive nature that makes this team good, and I thought we brought that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nZuccy takes a big hit and Yurov immediately drops the gloves pic.twitter.com\/H1N70ZkwRk<\/a><\/p>\n
\u2014 10,000 Takes (@10k_Takes) December 9, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
The Wild matched their goal total from their previous three games combined. They\u2019ve struggled with their secondary scoring for a good part of the season, but Monday\u2019s recipe could be a way out. Eriksson Ek\u2019s goal came from right in front after a great pass by Matt Boldy, while Johansson went to the net for his redirection. Kaprizov said sometimes you need those \u201cheavy\u201d or \u201cgarbage\u201d goals to get an offense going.<\/p>\n
Hynes lamented Saturday in Vancouver that they had seven and a half minutes of offensive zone time but not enough high-danger chances and didn\u2019t get to the inside. On Monday, they flipped the script.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought in general we had more of an offensive style of game we needed in the O-zone,\u201d Hynes said. \u201cScreens, tips, shot-mentality. Played more to the interior.\u201d<\/p>\n
Zuccarello wasn\u2019t the only Wild player to get banged up: Jake Middleton also didn\u2019t look right on the bench late. Nico Sturm and Boldy got hit by pucks, with Sturm initially leaving for a stretch. Boldy left with about a minute left, but Hynes thought he was okay.<\/p>\n
\u201cSome of those are stingers; guys need a little bit of time,\u201d Hynes said. \u201cBut as you know, you never know what tomorrow is going to bring when everyone wakes up.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Wild are already missing Marco Rossi, Marcus Foligno and Vinnie Hinostroza, none of whom made this trip. But Minnesota made the Kraken pay for the Zuccarello hit \u2014 on the scoreboard.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt sucks to see a player get hurt like that, he\u2019s a huge part of our team,\u201d Eriksson Ek said. \u201cWe can\u2019t be stupid either and try to run around and take penalties, that\u2019ll take you out of the game. I think we responded well. Getting the win is probably the biggest thing. But we want to stand up for \u2018Zuccy\u2019 too.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eriksson Ek shines<\/p>\n
This might have been Eriksson Ek\u2019s best game of the season, and he was a very deserving No. 1 star. The shutdown center was active all night, especially on the forecheck and in front of the net. He was the driver leading to his goal, first stealing the puck just outside the blue line, then going to the net and finishing a slick centering feed from Boldy.<\/p>\n
\n12 \u27a1\ufe0f 14 pic.twitter.com\/hPInRD3xMj<\/a><\/p>\n
\u2014 Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) December 9, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Eriksson Ek also assisted on the next two Wild goals and won 50 percent of his draws (9-for-18).<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought he was excellent,\u201d Hynes said. \u201cReally solid in all facets. Nice to see him get on the board because he\u2019s played some really solid hockey, but tonight he was at a high level.\u201d<\/p>\n
Freddy\u2019s familiar foes<\/p>\n
Freddy Gaudreau got to face his former Wild teammates Monday for the first time since he was \u201cshocked\u201d by the June trade<\/a> to Seattle. Gaudreau didn\u2019t get to meet up with old teammates Sunday night, but feels like he\u2019ll always be connected to the core group in Minnesota.<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of people I love over there, a lot of really good memories, so that never changes,\u201d Gaudreau said. \u201cBut it\u2019s just another game, and my only focus is on my job and what I can do to help my team.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gaudreau missed a month earlier in the season with an injury, but his impact on the Kraken goes beyond his one goal through his first 13 games.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust an extremely professional character, human being,\u201d Kraken coach Lane Lambert said. \u201cHe\u2019s got one thing in mind is team first, and he wants to win. That\u2019s just the way Freddy is. He\u2019s been outstanding for our group.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nCaught up w\/ Freddy Gaudreau for our recent @FOTRshow<\/a> podcast. Talked about his career, his ‘beautiful’ chapter with #mnwild<\/a>, feeling at ‘home’ with @SeattleKraken<\/a>. And what made the core group in Minnesota special
Spotify https:\/\/t.co\/FNIvpXnpbE<\/a>
YouTube https:\/\/t.co\/cwQIMoBX7x<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/hTC9pxODYg<\/a><\/p>\n\u2014 Joe Smith (@JoeSmithNHL) December 8, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Talking about practice?<\/p>\n
It did seem strange that the Wild didn\u2019t practice at all during this trip. Hynes said there were many factors, with strength and conditioning coach Matt Harder and his staff having input.<\/a><\/p>\n
\u201cI think at this point you take everything into consideration,\u201d Hynes said. \u201cThe travel, the game schedule. A lot of times, when we look at it, it\u2019s not just that little segment what led up to the trip and what is coming after the trip. It\u2019s pretty well planned with our strength and conditioning guys as well. Mental and physical preparedness for the game. You have to account for travel and things like that. It\u2019s always a combination.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Wild played three games in five days leading up to this trip, and will have three games in four days starting Thursday. Tuesday is a travel day, and Wednesday is a day off.<\/p>\n
Odds and ends<\/p>\n
\u2022 Yakov Trenin continued his strong play \u2014 he was a beast all night with nine hits and four shots. He also had a goal in Thursday\u2019s game in Calgary. \u201c<\/p>\n
He\u2019s playing really solid,\u201d Hynes said. \u201cI think (Trenin) has played really solid all year. But as of late, maybe the last 5-10 games, he\u2019s really come on strong and his physicality, puck plays, skating, impacting the game in multiple ways.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nyak in THE HAT pic.twitter.com\/ZDprMlgG2P<\/a><\/p>\n