Disaster for the Wild with two injured players uncertain for Game 3

The head coach said he'll see how Zuccarello feels on Wednesday before making any call on the 38-year-old Norwegian's availability for Game 3 at home.

Not exactly the answer a coach wants to give before a home matinee.

Joe Smith of The Athletic laid out the update, including a detail that hit harder than the injury line itself. Zach Bogosian said he wishes he could have the pass back that led to the Trenin hit.

That's a veteran defenseman taking the blame for a teammate's night ending early. Rare honesty.

Zuccarello is the big name on the injury list. He posted 54 points in 59 games this regular season at a $4.125 million cap hit and opened this playoff series with 3 assists in Game 1.

Losing him for any stretch of this matchup blows a hole in the Wild's top six that Hynes doesn't have a clean replacement for.

Here's the Smith update if you want the full framing.

Trenin is a different piece. The 29-year-old Russian finished 82 games with 23 points and a plus-13 rating at $3.5 million.

He plays penalty kill, he takes hard matchup draws, and he gives Hynes a third-line center he can trust in any situation.

Losing Trenin hurts Minnesota's structure in a way that doesn't show up on a scoresheet. It shows up on the Dallas power play and at the dot in the defensive zone.

Bogosian's honesty about the turnover pass is the kind of accountability you want from a veteran on a playoff team. It's also the kind of moment that can tighten a locker room if the next bounce goes the other way.

Bill Guerin built this Minnesota roster with specific bets on specific players. Zuccarello and Trenin are exactly that type of bet, and the postseason was always going to be the test.

The Wild won Game 1 in Dallas 6-1 on Saturday. That doesn't mean Game 2 was a lock, and it doesn't mean Game 3 at home plays out the way Minnesota wants if two veterans aren't on the bench.

Glen Gulutzan's Stars will take any reshuffled Wild lineup every time. That's the deal when you're trailing a series and a key opponent is limping.

Minnesota will know more on Tuesday. Until then, Hynes is running a lineup puzzle, and Bogosian is carrying one more thing around the locker room than he needs to.

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