Minnesota Wild center Joel Eriksson Ek practiced with the team on a limited basis on Friday, and coach John Hynes said the two-way stalwart has a chance to return from his lower-body injury for Game 3 of their second-round series in the NHL playoffs against the Colorado Avalanche. Eriksson Ek skated for the first time since he was hurt on April 30 while sliding into the wall during the last game of Minnesota's first-round series against Dallas, which he was able to finish. The 6-foot-3, 207-pound Eriksson Ek's rugged net-front presence and defensive acumen clearly has been missed by the Wild, who gave up 14 goals in losing the first two games of the series to the Avalanche

1 min read

Source: Yahoo Sports Verified news feed