Zuccarello was not present when Wild beat Tampa Bay Lightning 4-2 on Sunday. The reason was an injury he suffered in the 7-1 victory over Winnipeg on Friday.
Wild stated in advance of the settlement that the team’s Norwegian star had suffered an “upper body injury”. NHL teams are sparse with injury information and often confine themselves to describing whether the injury is above or below the waist.
After the match however, coach Evason gave more details about Zuccarello’s situation.
– I just met him and talked to him. We have to consider a little. We’re going to train tomorrow and everyone’s coming on the ice. I reckon he will be there, then we’ll see where he stands, he said.
Homage
The slap Zuccarello incurred on Friday came as a result of slashing against his hands.
– It is a terrible injury that makes it difficult to keep the club. It’s the lower hand, and it’s a difficult place, coach Evason said.
At the same time, he took the unsolicited opportunity to come up with a Zuccarello tribute.
– When people are beaten in this way, the person in question often throws off the glove, helmet and club and either stays on the ice or gets to the bench. He did not. He worked defensively until we got control, and then he switched. It testifies to a lot of character, and that he puts the team first, the Wild boss said on Sunday.
Coyotes Tuesday
From the sidelines, Zuccarello could rejoice that his teammates took an extremely strong victory against the last two seasons’ Stanley Cup winner Tampa Bay Lightning.
Zuccarello has been a diligent scorer for Wild, who heads his division in the NHL. The next game for the Minnesota club is at home against the Arizona Coyotes on Tuesday. Whether Zuccarello will be seen on the ice then seems highly uncertain.
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