On the eve of one of their biggest showdowns of the season thus far, the Wild will be without a key forward on Saturday, and potentially for the coming month.

Mats Zuccarello had surgery following a lower-body injury suffered in the first period of Thursday’s 3-0 win over the Montreal Canadiens and will be out for as many as four weeks, Wild coach John Hynes said Friday.

Posted in front of the Montreal net, Zuccarello was a victim of friendly fire, as a rising wrist shot from the blue line fired by Wild defenseman Brock Faber struck Zuccarello below the beltline. He was helped off the ice and went to a local hospital where the surgery was performed.

Zuccarello was placed on injured reserve, temporarily breaking up the Wild’s top line with center Marco Rossi and left wing Kirill Kaprizov.

“Zuccy’s such an important part of the team. I’ve really enjoyed coaching him. He’s a veteran player, he’s an extreme competitor, he’s got great hockey sense and his value on the power play,” Hynes said. “Obviously (there is) his chemistry with Kirill, but to me the way he’s come in this year and he’s played, he’s a real key guy.

“But, that being said, he’s played a long time, too, and I know when he comes back he’s going to be back to where he is.”

Forward Joel Ericksson Ek also left the Montreal game in the first period and did not return, and the Wild were already playing without defenseman Jonas Brodin. Hynes said those players are day-to-day and may be able to play on Saturday against Dallas, but the coach expects the team to call up a forward just in case.

The injuries are piling up before the Wild’s first meeting with the Stars. Dallas went to the Western Conference finals last season and is one of the more dangerous offensive teams in the league. In three games versus the Stars last season, Minnesota went 0-3-0 and was outscored 19-5.

“It’s going to be a big test,” Rossi said. “We know, especially last year, we weren’t really happy with last year against them. So, just try to play our game, and I think if we do that we’ll have a good chance.”

Hynes said despite the loss of Zuccarello and potentially others, with the Wild off to an 11-2-3 start, there is a confidence that they have a system in place that works no matter who the opponent or the personnel available.

“When everybody understands how you want to play, then it comes down to your competitive level, your dig-in, and a lot of times … as we all know it’s the team that plays the best that gives themselves the best chance to win,” he said. “That’s from your goaltender through your D core to your forwards and the style of game you play.

“It’s not always the best team with the best lineup, it’s the team that plays the best in that particular game.”

The Wild and Stars face off at 7 p.m. Saturday at Xcel Energy Center.

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