Considering all the injuries the Minnesota Wild have faced recently, the sight of Brock Faber skating gingerly off the ice midway through the first period Tuesday must have had an eerie feel. Faber left the game with what the team called an upper-body injury and didn’t return.

Faber (upper body) won't return to Tuesday's game versus the Blues. Faber was injured midway through the first period. The 22-year-old defenseman is a key part of the Wild's defense, so any potential absence looms large,

It would be easy for the Minnesota Wild to get down in the dumps at this time of year. January is cold and gloomy, and the injury bug seems to have gotten its own locker room stall inside the home team’s room at Xcel Energy Center.