ST. PAUL, Minn. - Minnesota Wild left wing Matt Cooke has an injury that has clouded his availability for Game 1 of the first-round playoff series against the St. Louis Blues.
Cooke did not practice Tuesday, due to what Wild coach Mike Yeo would only describe as "discomfort." Yeo said Cooke is "definitely a possibility" to play Thursday, but he added that if the team were to decide Cooke wasn't fully healthy then he wouldn't play in Game 1.
Cooke missed two months after sports hernia surgery, but Yeo said his absence Tuesday was unrelated to the prior injury.