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The Minnesota Wild have been one of the surprise teams of the 2024-25 NHL season, but they’ll be without veteran forward Mats Zuccarello for the next few weeks after he took a shot straight to the last place any fella would want to take a puck.

The Wild were hosting the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday night when just past the halfway point of the first period, Wild D-man Brock Faber took a shot from the point.

Zuccarello was down low doing his job, however, he took a little friendly fire… down low.

Poor one — maybe two — out for the Zuccarello…

If you’re a guy and seeing that didn’t make you do that move where you clench your teeth and inhale through them… I don’t even know what; it’s impossible to see something like that and not do that.

Now, if you know anything about Zuccarello’s history, he’s a tough customer, but you can be the toughest guy in the world and a shot like that will turn you into a crumpled heap.  

The 37-year-old Norwegian headed straight for the tunnel and he was finished for the night.

On Friday, it was revealed that he had undergone surgery and will be out of the Wild lineup for the next three to four weeks.

That’s a significant loss for the Wild. Zuccarello — who is in his sixth season with the Wild after nearly a decade with the New York Rangers and a cup of coffee with the Dallas Stars — is tied for third in points (13) on the team’s roster.

Injuries may be one of the few things that can slow down the Wild, who are currently in second place in the Central Division behind the Winnipeg Jets.  Someone will need to step up to fill the void left by Zuccarello’s absence and provide some second scoring behind the team’s superstar Kirill Kaprizov, who has 30 points in 16 games.