The Minnesota Wild will be without F Ryan Hartman for their final game of the season on Thursday when they play the Nashville Predators. This will be Hartman’s second time facing disciplinary action. Back in the 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs, he was suspended one game during the first round against the Colorado Avalanche when he illegally checked Carl Soderberg.
Ryan Hartman lays out Nikolaj Ehlers and the Jets take exception.
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) April 12, 2023pic.twitter.com/fzFC3L5CHR
It was a meaningless hit, as Ehlers wasn’t near the puck. Hartman was assessed a 2 minute minor for interference on the play. Ehlers did not return to the game.
As both teams gear up for the playoffs, it’s good news for Wild fans that this suspension means Hartman will not miss any games in the first round. Similarly, with Nikolaj Ehlers, Jets fans can breathe a sigh of relief as it looks like their star forward won’t miss any games in the first round either.
With Hartman out of the lineup for the Wild, they called up Nick Swaney and Sammy Walker, who will join the team in Nashville. Swaney has 28 points in 46 games for the Iowa Wild. For Walker, he has 46 points in 54 games. Walker has appeared in eight games for the Wild this season, in which he scored his first NHL goal. Swaney has yet to appear in an NHL game and may potentially be in the lineup come Thursday night.
Ryan Hartman will finish his season with 15 goals, 37 points in 59 games. He will finish fifth on the Wild in points and sixth in goals.
The game against Nashville may hold some meaning as the Wild look to climb up the Central Division standings, and it would help them if the Blues were to defeat the Stars Wednesday night so the Wild may not end up resting their star players as they look towards the playoffs which start April 17th.
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