The Minnesota Wild are 9-3-3 and have already piled up 21 points through 15 games this season. Now, the Western Conference leaders are off to Washington DC for a 2:15 p.m. CT puck-drop against the 8-4-0 Capitals.

It’s the first of a two-game road trip that wraps up Tuesday in Philadelphia. Their last time out, Thursday back in St. Paul, the MN Wild fell 4-3 in overtime to the New York Islanders.

It was a disappointing finish, given the Wild jumped out to a 1-0 lead just 27 seconds into the contest, thanks to top-line center Joel Eriksson Ek’s fifth goal of the season.

Unfortunately, Ekker’s night would not get better from there. Later, in the losing effort, with the score tied with just over four minutes remaining in the third period, Eriksson Ek drew a power play, via trip by Isles’ Adam Pelech.

Just ten seconds in, though, Eriksson Ek took a Max Shabanov shot off the outside of his right knee. The alternate captain dropped to the ice immediately, before he was eventually helped down the tunnel. He did return after missing about five minutes and finished the night.

Joel Eriksson Ek ready good to go for MN Wild @ Capitals?

On Friday, though, he was getting checked out by doctors, and Russo pointed out that he has a history of returning to games after getting hurt, then landing on the shelf afterward. That left plenty of uncertainty heading into Saturday’s practice.

But the Minnesota Wild got some good news on that front today. First, it was Joe Smith (The Athletic) who reported Saturday morning that Joel Eriksson Ek was on the ice for practice, where he resumed his first-line role.

Then after practice, head coach John Hynes told reporters that Eriksson Ek had a “full practice today, so he should be good to go” for Sunday against the Capitals.

Smith’s practice lines had Eriksson Ek centering Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy. Michael McCarron was centering line two, behind Blake Coleman and Bobby Brink on the second. The Wild are sticking with their all-Russian third line of Shabanov, Danila Yurov and Yakov Trenin.

The third line this morning consisted of Nico Sturm, Ryan Hartman and Tyler Pitlick. On defense, the pairs were Quinn Hughes and Jonas Brodin, Olli Maatta and Zach Bogosian, and Matt Kiersted and David Spacek. Smith also reported that Jesper Wallstedt will start in Washington.

Ekker enjoying top line duty with Kaprizov, Boldy

On the season, Joel Eriksson Ek has 12 points (5 goals, 7 assists) in 15 games. His rating, playing mostly on the top line with one or both of Kaprizov and Boldy, is a +9. Ekker will step onto the ice in DC having scored in three straight games.

On Wednesday, Russo pointed to NHL Edge data showing Kaprizov, Eriksson Ek and Boldy led the league with a 72 percent expected goals share, when on the ice together. Ek also leads the NHL with 30 high-danger shots.