A heavy hit from Preds forward James Neal has forced Minnesota alternate captain Zach Parise from tonight’s tilt at Xcel.
The hit, which occurred less than 90 seconds into the opening period, shook Parise up and momentarily forced him from the contest, though he did return to take five more shifts and finish with 4:59 of ice time.
Neal wasn’t penalized on the play.
Parise didn’t come out to start the second period and, shortly thereafter, the Wild ruled him out for the game. The club is calling it a lower-body injury.
While details on the ailment and severity are scarce, losing Parise for any length of time is a huge blow for Minnesota. The 31-year-old leads the team with seven goals through 11 games this season, and averages 19:43 TOI per night.