REPORT: Wild forward speaks on the hit that injured him and his return

Wild forward speaks on the hit that injured him and his return

Just a few days after taking a high stick to the face that resulted in a brutal collision on the ice, Minnesota Wild forward Zach Parise is feeling ready to play.

On Tuesday March 28^th, Tom Wilson of the Washington Capitals caught the Minneapolis native square in the face with a brutal high-sticking play that left Parise needing assistance off the ice. Swelling closed one of his eyes, forcing him out of the lineup for Thursday’s win over the Ottawa Senators.

In an interview with KFAN1003 Parise said, “It's gotten better every day...feels good. I'm going to travel. I feel like I can play”. And soon too, adding: “I plan on playing tomorrow”, referring to the Wild’s next game against the Nashville Predators on Saturday.

Good news for a Minnesota team that has been struggling for wins lately, their 5-1 thrashing of Ottawa on Thursday was their first victory in five games. The Wild have only 2 victories in their last ten games, despite being second in the Western Conference with 98 points.

When asked about the high stick and resulting collision that left him unable to return to the game on Tuesday, Parise said, “It’s one of those accidental things…I just ran into a stick and hit another guy on the way down. But it’s just a little bit of bad luck.”

Parise has 17 goals and 20 assists for 37 points in 64 games this season. With five games remaining, the Wild are still looking to find consistent wins to close out one of their best season’s in recent memory. Their next game is against the Predators in Nashville on Saturday April 1st.