If losing 4-0 to the Los Angeles Kings was not bad enough, fans in the State of Hockey received more bad news Tuesday night. Minnesota Wild captain Mikko Koivu, who is second on the team in scoring with 37 points (10 goals - 27 assists), will be out at least two more weeks after re-aggravating an earlier shoulder injury.
From Michael Russo of the Minneapolis Star Tribune:
"We weren't trying to hide his injury. We want to do what's right and were trying to protect him [from being targeted]," Fletcher said. "He's trying to do everything he can to get back to play."
Koivu was initially injured Jan. 14 in St. Louis on a check from Vladimir Sobotka. On Feb. 11 - two games after returning, Koivu aggravated the same injury late in the game when he was tackled by then-Columbus Blue Jackets forward Jeff Carter.[...]
On Tuesday, Koivu sought the opinion of a second doctor who concurred with other doctors, Fletcher said. For now, he cannot face any contact for two weeks. He'll then be re-evaluated.
The news puts a damper on Minnesota's already slim playoff chances. They currently sit in 12th place in the Western Conference after being the top team in the NHL on December 1st
Koivu has not played since February 16th against the Winnipeg Jets and missed eight games earlier in the season with the same injury. The Wild have gone 3-3 without him in the lineup and continue to struggle trying to fill a lineup that has missed 259 man-games to injury.
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