Having seen Eric Staal basically carried off the ice after colliding with a linesman against the Anaheim Ducks, you wouldn’t fault fans for thinking the Wild would be without their star centerman for an extended period of time. But Staal is as tough as they come, and considering his history in the league, should have surprised no one by taking the ice to face off against the Edmonton Oilers. As the Athletic’s Michael Russo noted:
To open the first period, if all you saw was the 7-2 lead in shots held by Edmonton after the first 10 minutes, the average Wild fan might think “Uh oh, here we go again.