Wild goalie Devan Dubnyk takes time to deal with wife's medical condition

Wild goalie Devan Dubnyk, who has missed the past four games because of a personal matter, revealed Thursday that his wife, Jenn, is going through a serious medical situation that required hospitalization last week.

"It's something I need to be here for and be with her and the kids," said Dubnyk, who returned to practice Thursday morning at Tria Rink. "It's still pretty foggy as far as what's going to happen going forward. She's OK. We're working on getting her back to 100 percent, but there's going to be some things to figure out going forward."

Dubnyk did not want to discuss specifics of Jenn's condition but said the family is awaiting more information that should be available in the coming days.

"That's the most difficult part for all of us, especially her because she's the one that's going through it," said Dubnyk, who added that Jenn is at home. "It's not fun when you don't have a concrete answer as far as what it's going to be like going forward. But we know we'll get one and get one soon enough."

Dubnyk said Jenn's medical situation needed attention Nov. 19 when he returned home from the Wild's game at Buffalo.

"I got her in [for medical care] shortly after I got home that night," he said. "I've kind of been spending this last week trying to get her on a track back to feeling good and feeling comfortable with what the routine is."

Though Dubnyk practiced Thursday, he won't be starting in Friday afternoon's home game against Ottawa, coach Bruce Boudreau said. That means either Alex Stalock or Kaapo Kahkonen will get the nod against the Senators. The coach wouldn't reveal Friday's starter but said there's a good chance that both Stalock and Kahkonen will start during this two-game homestand, which finishes Sunday against Dallas.

Dubnyk didn't know when he'd be available to play.

"I'm going to talk to Bruce, and I don't even know if we have an answer right now as far as if I'm able to travel, if I feel comfortable to travel right now," he said. "It was pretty scary, and I'm glad I was there for it."

He credited teammates and the Wild organization for their help. "When something like this happens, it's nice to see how much of a family this organization is and how much support is there," he said.

Dubnyk's focus, of course, is on Jenn's health.

"She's the strongest person I know. She gave birth to three giants without saying one complaint," the 6-6 Dubnyk said. "I know if anybody's going to get through it, it's definitely her.

"Any time something like this comes up, you realize nothing matters other than your family."

Wild forward Marcus Foligno, who has missed the past nine games because of a lower-body injury, practiced but likely won't play Friday. "He's very close," Boudreau said, "but he's not close enough yet." Boudreau added that he's hopeful Foligno will be ready for the three-game road trip to Florida, Tampa Bay and Carolina that begins Tuesday.

Foligno said he would like to play Friday, but a more realistic return would be Sunday.

• Boudreau also said the recent setback defenseman Greg Pateryn suffered in his recovery from core muscle surgery isn't long-term. "He just needs a little more time," Boudreau said.

Defenseman Nick Seeler, a former Gophers player, is excited for Minnesota's football matchup against Wisconsin on Saturday.

"The Gophs are doing so well this season. It's just been fun watching them," said Seeler, an Eden Prairie native. "They haven't had this good of a year for a long time. It's pretty cool."

Seeler said the Gophers have plenty of fans among the Wild players. "I'm surprised how many people are on the Gophs' side here, even though they went somewhere else," he said.

Forward Luke Kunin had a dissenting opinion.

"The Badgers will take care of it," said Kunin, who skated for Wisconsin for two years.