With injuries sapping its lineup throughout the season, the Wild has had plenty of practice handling adversity.
And that perseverance is about to be tested again, as the team will be without defenseman Jared Spurgeon for at least a month after he suffered a partial tear of his right hamstring.
"It's nothing new," coach Bruce Boudreau said. "No one's going to cry for us, so we've got to go out and get the job done without him."
The Stanley Cup playoffs begin in four weeks.
Spurgeon was injured early in the third period of Tuesday's 5-1 loss to the Avalanche after going down awkwardly in the corner of the Wild's defensive zone at Xcel Energy Center. He appeared to lose an edge and fell into the boards as his legs split apart — a grim-looking sequence, with Spurgeon struggling to get to his feet and getting helped off the ice.
The 28-year-old does not require surgery, and rest will be key. This is the second injury that's sidelined Spurgeon this season, as he missed nine games in November and December because of a groin issue — part of the Wild's 118 man-games lost to injury so far.
Upon his return to the lineup, Spurgeon continued to skate as the dependable defenseman who's become a vital anchor on the Wild's blue line. Aside from averaging the second-most ice time on the team at 24 minutes, 32 seconds, he chipped in nine goals in 61 games and racked up 37 points, 13 of which came on the power play.His work ethic and professionalism have also been a model of what it takes to discover longevity in the NHL because it helps fuel a team's success.
"In meetings, he looks you in the eye and he'll go out and practice what you're asking him to do," Boudreau said.