Wild place Niederreiter, Coyle on IR; Foligno to have surgery
The Minnesota Wild left Chicago on Thursday night with two points, but it cost them three of their top-six forwards, as the team announced Friday that Charlie Coyle, Nino Niederreiter, and Marcus Foligno will all miss time due to injury.
Foligno and Blackhawks forward John Hayden got into a spirited scrap in the second period, with Foligno taking a few vicious blows. After serving his major, Foligno left the ice and didn't return. The team later reported he suffered a facial fracture, with details emerging today that he'll undergo surgery and miss at least a week.
Meanwhile, Niederreiter suffered a high ankle sprain after taking a hit from Hawks center Tanner Kero.
Kero tried to check Niederreiter and instead landed on his left leg, resulting in Niederreiter hobbling down the tunnel to the dressing room. He was placed on injured reserve and is expected to miss a minimum of three weeks.
As for Coyle, he'll miss the most significant chunk of time, as he'll be placed on long-term injured reserve and miss six-to-eight weeks. With Coyle's LTIR designation, Minnesota is able to recall at least three players from its AHL affiliate in Iowa.
Since the Wild were already playing without top scorer Mikael Granlund - who is also out with injury - or an extra forward due to salary cap restrictions, the loss of three of their best forwards could be a crippling blow to the start of the club's 2017-18 season.
Minnesota next takes to the ice Saturday against the Columbus Blue Jackets.