Wild Lose Jason Zucker and Ryan Carter for Near Future

It’s difficult to win games in the NHL. When you have two forwards go down with injuries in the first period, the task becomes almost impossible.

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But for the Minnesota Wild, there was simply too much on the line on against the Canucks to throw in the towel. They overcame the odds and dominated the game with just ten forwards, ultimately winning 5-3 in front of a sold out Monday-night crowd in St. Paul.

“You never really knew who was going out and guys playing different positions,” said Charlie Coyle, who finished with an assist and two shots. “But no one was complaining, everyone just doing their job and do what their asked of, and I think that’s why we got the result tonight.”

Though they got the result they wanted last night, the results of the injuries to Jason Zucker and Ryan Carter don’t look so good.

Per Michael Russo of the Star Tribune:

"I’m told Carter was in a sling after the game and personally it looked to me that Zucker also sustained a shoulder injury. The Wild’s 18-goal scorer (17 even-strength goals) got jolted pretty good chasing a loose puck along the wall by defenseman Luca Sbisa. A few minutes before, Carter crashed hard into the boards after being checked by defenseman Yannick Weber."

Head coach Mike Yeo said Zucker and Carter suffered upper-body injuries and, “We should not expect them back in the lineup in the near future.”

The untimely injuries came as the Minnesota Wild enjoy their best run of the season. They’re currently on a beeline up the Western Conference standings, moving from from 12th to 9th during a 6-game winning-streak spanning over the last couple weeks. No other team in the NHL has a winning streak over three.

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For Nino Niederreiter, who scored his 16th goal of the season Monday night, losing key guys only puts more of the onus on the players in the line-up.

“That’s the toughest part losing those two guys for sure,” Niederreiter said. “They’re very important players for us. Zucker has tremendous speed and has been helping our team a lot with goals and Carts is very physical and been a great part of our PK. It’s definitely hard to lose those guys. For myself, I just have to make sure I step in that position and make the best out of it.”

Stu Bickel and Brett Sutter will suit up for Minnesota next after being recalled from the Iowa Wild last night. The two have four combined points in fourteen combined games.

Now, the attention shifts to the biggest game of the season thus far. The Wild travel to Winnipeg tonight for a chance to pull within four points of the 7th place Jets with three games in hand. If they can pull out a victory, the playoffs will seem well within reach for the first time in a while.

Next: It Doesn't Get More Important than Next Two for Wild

Jan 29, 2015; Calgary, Alberta, CAN; Minnesota Wild left wing Jason Zucker (16) during the warmup period against the Calgary Flames at Scotiabank Saddledome. Minnesota Wild won 1-0. Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports