With the Wild facing their first big test of the season against the rival Winnipeg Jets, they’ll drop the puck Sunday night without captain Jared Spurgeon and their best center, Joel Eriksson Ek. Neither player traveled to Winnipeg for the first game of a seven-game road trip.

Center took an elbow to the face from Kraken defenseman Adam Larsson in the second period and essentially missed the rest of the game.

The Minnesota Wild have gotten off to a solid start this season, winning their opener against the Columbus Blue Jackets before a shootout loss to the Seattle Kraken. Now, they are heading on a seven-game road trip,