ST PAUL, Minn. — An otherwise meaningless game could turn out to be costly, if red-hot forward Marcus Johansson ends up on the injured list following the Wild's 3-1 loss to Winnipeg Tuesday night.
Jets defenseman Neal Pionk was fined $5,000 by the NHL for a brutal cross-check on Johansson's back and ribs late in the 3rd period. The veteran forward, who seems to have singlehandedly lit a fire under young Wild star Matt Boldy, fell to the ice and remained there for an extended period before gingerly skating off. At this time there is no word on the severity of the injury, but it is likely Johansson will be held out of the lineup Thursday night in the season finale against Nashville.
Things always get a bit chippy when the division rivals collide, but last night's game at the Xcel Energy Center was up there when it comes to the worst. Tight-checking and edgy through the first two periods, the wheels completely fell off down the stretch starting with a crushing hit by Wild center Ryan Hartman on Winnipeg's Nikolaj Ehlers, who had previously targeted Kirill Kaprizov. A handful of Jets attacked and piled on Hartman, who was assessed a double-minor on the play.
Ehlers was helped off the ice and Hartman faces a fine and possibly a suspension for the hit, which appeared to involve a shoulder to the head.
That incident seemed to light the fuse. Former Wild forward Nino Niederreiter, who was in a series of scraps all game, was tackled by Minnesota enforcer Ryan Reaves with both players earning roughing penalties. It was shortly after that when Pionk delivered the brutal cross-check to Johansson's back, driving him into the boards and earning a 5-minute major.
Reaves continued the penalty parade with a fight, pounding Winnipeg's Adam Lowry because Pionk had left the game. Fans booed roundly as the Jets celebrated their victory, cementing a playoff spot as the season winds to a close.
With Tuesday's loss the Wild appear all but certain to finish 3rd in the central and open the NHL playoffs on the road against either Dallas or Colorado. With that in mind, the club is likely to play Thursday without Johansson, Kaprizov, Mats Zuccarello, Matt Boldy, Jonas Brodin and Jared Spurgeon in the lineup. Hartman could be suspended and Sam Steel left Tuesday's game sick, leaving his status uncertain.
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