No one really expected this of Joel Eriksson Ek.
Sure, the Minnesota Wild centerman was set to be given more of the spotlight with both Mikko Koivu and Eric Staal departing the team last summer — opening up the center depth chart — but it was hard to imagine that he would be able to score more than double his previous career-high in goals.
With 19 in the regular season, the 24-year-old entered the biggest playoff series of his career on Sunday and was able to add to his total.
In the opening minutes of the first frame of the extra period, Eriksson Ek finished the game, scoring the only goal and giving the Wild a 1-0 series lead.