The Minnesota Wild relied upon Matt Hendricks on his return to fulfil a certain roll on one of their penalty-kill units; Hendricks tallying 13:18 total ice-time, 3:38 of that spent killing penalties.
Now obviously this is a role that Hendricks is required to fulfil, but to jump straight back into the action and onto a penalty killing unit is a big ask. The playing style on the penalty-kill too can often lead to injuries; Hendricks would’ve been looking to avoid any shot-blocking that may affect his recovery.
In laying two hits and blocking a shot, Matt Hendricks showed the heart expected of him and also proved to the Minnesota Wild that despite a lay-off he hasn’t missed a beat in terms of his role.