Wild winger Mats Zuccarello will be out 3-4 weeks after surgery

Mats Zuccarello will be sidelined for three to four weeks after the Wild forward had surgery for a lower-body injury, coach John Hynes said Friday.

Zuccarello was hit by teammate Brock Faber’s right point shot during Thursday’s 3-0 victory over Montreal at Xcel Energy Center.

The type of surgery was not specified; Zuccarello appeared to get hit by the shot in his midsection.

In 16 games, Zuccarello had six goals and eight assists. The veteran winger is off to a strong start while reuniting with longtime linemate Kirill Kaprizov after the two were split up last season.

“Zuccy’s such an important part of the team,” Hynes said. “I’ve really enjoyed coaching him. He’s a veteran player. He’s an extreme competitor. He’s got great hockey sense, and his value on the power play, obviously his chemistry with Kirill, but to me the way he’s come in this year and he’s played, he’s a real key guy.

“But, that being said, he’s played a long time, too, and I know when he comes back, he’s going to be back to where he is.”

Center Joel Eriksson Ek, who also left Thursday’s game because of a lower-body injury, is listed as day-to-day.

So is defenseman Jonas Brodin, who didn’t play Thursday due to an upper-body injury. Neither player has been ruled out for Saturday’s game vs. Dallas.

Since Zuccarello is on injured reserve, the Wild do have a roster spot available to add another forward from the minors. Earlier this week, they recalled defenseman Daemon Hunt and forward Michael Milne from Iowa in the American Hockey League.

“The depth of our team is stronger than it was a year ago,” Hynes said. “You know that you’re going to get injuries at certain times. I think that our mental toughness, our understanding of how you need to play, how you need to stay within games, the importance of structure, I think all those things contribute to you being able to be able to win games regardless of who’s in your lineup.

“If these guys happen to be out, then that’s the challenge we face. But knowing coming into the year at some point you’re going to face it, and we’ll attack that challenge if it truly is the case.”

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Stars update: Dallas is rolling, racking up seven goals in each of its last two games. First, the Stars routed the Penguins 7-1 on Monday. Then they dominated the Bruins 7-2 on Thursday. Of those 14 goals, LW Mason Marchment factored into half of them, scoring twice and picking up five assists. Overall, though, Dallas is known for its defense this season: The Stars have given up a league-low 35 goals.