The Minnesota Wild are in a bind, as injuries, illnesses, and cap issues could force the team to play shorthanded Tuesday versus the Buffalo Sabres.

The Wild, who sit less than $1.5 million below the salary cap, have been hit with a slew of injuries that will challenge the team's ability to ice a full lineup.

Four forwards are hurt, and the Wild have only enough cap space for two call-ups, according to Michael Russo of the Star Tribune.

To make matters worse, forward Chris Stewart left practice Monday with an illness, sent home by coach Bruce Boudreau, who hoped the bug wouldn't spread to more members of his lineup.

"I was really grumpy this morning because coaches like to have really good practices," said Boudreau, according to Dan Myers of NHL.com reporters. "I know the reasons why we only had eight forwards and six defenseman out there, but it doesn't make practice any easier if you want to keep getting better, especially earlier on in the season."

Defenseman Nate Prosser skated as a forward at practice Monday, simply to provide the team with three forward lines.

It's been a rough few days for the Wild, as the team continues to sort through its injury concerns. Fortunately, the team has a light schedule to start November, with just three games in 11 days.

On Saturday, the Wild announced that star forward Zach Parise has been sidelined week to week with a lower-body injury. Parise has scored six points in eight games this season.

Meanwhile, Boudreau believes forward Erik Haula will be out longer than expected, pegging his return in the 7-to-10 day timeframe. Haula has appeared in four games this season, missing the last five with a lower-body injury.

Boudreau also updated the status of winger Zac Dalpe, who will miss "multiple weeks" with a lower-body injury. Dalpe sustained the injury Saturday vs. the Dallas Stars, playing just 5:53.

"When you're not able to practice full bore because of numbers, it's sort of irritating," Boudreau added. "We're obviously going to call up a couple of guys (from AHL Iowa) for tomorrow, and hopefully some of our injured guys are a little quicker on the mend than initially thought.

"Our goal is to get through tomorrow and then hopefully by Saturday (when the Wild play the Colorado Avalanche) we've got some of the walking wounded back."

It's not unprecedented news in NHL circles. During the 2010 season, a host of cap issues saw the New Jersey Devils often skate with as few 17 skaters.

As for the Wild, a 4-0 win over Dallas on Saturday pushed the team's record to 6-2-1 through nine games. With 13 points, Minnesota sits atop the Central and just a single point behind the Western Conference's top seeded Edmonton Oilers.

Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Adam Mascherin. Get used to that name if you're a Florida Panthers fan.

The 2016 second-round pick (38th overall) scored a sublime goal to win Sunday's game for the Kitchener Rangers, going end to end and absolutely dummying the defenseman who tried to stop him.

Mascherin, a left-winger, had 35 goals and 46 assists in 65 games last season. He's off to a fine start in 2016-17, with nine goals and 18 assists in 13 games.

Another supremely talented young player - just what the Panthers needed more of.

- With H/T to The Hockey News.

Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Adam Mascherin. Get used to that name if you're a Florida Panthers fan.

The 2016 second-round pick (38th overall) scored a sublime goal to win Sunday's game for the Kitchener Rangers, going end to end and absolutely dummying the defenseman who tried to stop him.

Mascherin, a left-winger, had 35 goals and 46 assists in 65 games last season. He's off to a fine start in 2016-17, with nine goals and 18 assists in 13 games.

Another supremely talented young player - just what the Panthers needed more of.

- With H/T to The Hockey News.

Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

It's Halloween. The most frightening night of the year.

In the spirit of Oct. 31, here are five chilling statistics as the season approaches its three-week anniversary.

1 - .864

That's the Carolina Hurricanes' save percentage through eight games. It's not good - lowest in the league, actually - and Cam Ward is still bad.

It's a shame because Carolina's been a solid possession team in October, coming in at 52.75 percent, seventh in the NHL.

It's early, and 10 teams are below .900, but Carolina's got extra reason to be concerned: The club finished at .902 last season; only the Calgary Flames were worse.

2 - 45.17%

The Minnesota Wild are sitting pretty at 6-2-1, with a Western Conference-best plus-13 goal differential, but they may not want to get too comfortable - because they don't often have the puck.

Minnesota's 45.17 percent Corsi For rating - possession at five-on-five in over 400 minutes - is 30th out of 30 in the league. It must improve.

Goaltending can make up for a lot of mistakes - ask Devan Dubnyk. His stellar play to start the season - a .952 save percentage and three straight shutouts - is masking many of the Wild's issues.

3 - 1.78

One of the more intriguing storylines early in the season is increased scoring across the league, but don't talk to the Vancouver Canucks about it.

After opening the season with four straight wins - three of them coming in extra time - the Canucks have lost five in a row, managing to score only seven goals on the slide.

Vancouver's averaging 1.78 goals per game, and is the only team not scoring at least two a night. Loui Eriksson's the poster boy. The big-ticket free-agent signing is yet to score in nine games.

4 - .954

This one's the furthest from scary if you're a Montreal Canadiens supporter, but the rest of the league should be petrified.

While Carey Price put to bed any questions of a dip in form after a lost season during the World Cup, one of the more interesting storylines of the season was how he'd fare in Montreal after last season's collapse and P.K. Subban's departure. Despite the spin, the pressure was on in Montreal for Marc Bergevin and Michel Therrien.

So far, so stupidly good. Price has stopped 144-of-151 shots through five games, all wins, and he looks everything like the best goalie in the world - much like last October.

Price is back, Shea Weber has everyone in Montreal saying, "P.K., who?", and the Canadiens have yet to lose in regulation. Be afraid.

5. 53.1%

The Chicago Blackhawks can't kill penalties anymore. They had a good run.

The club's at a remarkable 53.1 percent "success" rate on the kill so far, having allowed 15 power-play goals in 32 times shorthanded. To put that in perspective, the Blackhawks allowed 46 goals last season while down a man. They're already at 32.6 percent of 2015-16's total - in nine games.

And don't think about blaming Corey Crawford. The Stanley Cup winner has a .976 save percentage at five-on-five - he's allowed only four goals on 167 shots. On the kill, though, he sits at .683. The Blackhawks have to help him out, and fast.

Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

It's Halloween, and the NHL has the night off, so all we can think about is candy. Sweet, delicious candy.

Our sugar-induced ruminations got us pondering which treats best represent various NHL players.

Here's a bite-sized taste of what we came up with:

Twix

Henrik and Daniel Sedin are a package deal, and have been inseparable since they were drafted together in 1999.

The twins are also the most reliable and beloved Vancouver Canucks players, and, much like the chocolate bar, they have few detractors.

Mr. Big

Zdeno Chara is the NHL's tallest player at 6-foot-9, and is listed at 250 lbs.

If the Boston Bruins captain is Mr. Big, we can only wonder what that makes Brad Marchand.

Laffy Taffy

No NHL player is funnier than Roberto Luongo, and the Florida Panthers goaltender is the embodiment of silliness, even at age 37.

Related: Is Luongo's Halloween costume a sandwich?

Luongo's sense of humor and social media prowess make him a perfect choice for the Willy Wonka brand of taffy.

Werther's Original

Jaromir Jagr is the NHL's elder statesman, and, well, people of a certain vintage have been known to enjoy Werther's Original.

Candy fans of all ages can appreciate a good caramel-flavored treat, though, just as everyone loves old, reliable Jagr.

Dum Dums

Radko Gudas was suspended six games for a headshot on Boston Bruins forward Austin Czarnik earlier this month, and that came after he avoided supplemental discipline for a hit on New York Rangers rookie Jimmy Vesey in the preseason.

Gudas has been called by the league about dangerous incidents more than a handful of times over the last couple of seasons, so, much like the reckless Philadelphia Flyers defenseman, this one's a no-brainer.

Chiclets

Okay, we admit it, Chiclets rarely get handed out on Halloween, but nobody fits the bill better than Drew Doughty.

Try finding a picture of the Los Angeles Kings defenseman without his trademark gap teeth and you'll come up empty. Like a true hockey player, he's embraced the missing-teeth look, even if it gives him trouble chewing gum.

PayDay

Nikita Kucherov and Johnny Gaudreau cashed in as restricted free agents on the eve of the season.

Gaudreau inked a six-year, $40.5-million extension with the Calgary Flames on Oct. 10, and Kucherov signed a three-year deal with the Tampa Bay Lightning one day later.

Junior Mints

Young talent has been the best storyline of the 2016-17 season, as teenagers like Auston Matthews, Patrik Laine, and a healthy Connor McDavid are already looking like seasoned veterans.

Much like the candy in question, the influx of youth has been both refreshing and satisfying, particularly given how quickly the new crop of phenoms has adjusted to the NHL game.

Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Tampa Bay Lightning coach Jon Cooper isn't ready to panic.

The Bolts bench boss threw cold water on the notion that his team had cause for concern after the Lightning dropped three consecutive games in the midst of a six-game road trip.

"This is a test. Let's pump the brakes for a second here, it's Game 9. You know, Game 79, there might be a little alarm," Cooper told reporters following Sunday's 6-1 blowout loss to the New York Rangers. "This is a test, so we'll see how these guys pull themselves out of this."

Tampa Bay kicked off the road trip with victories over the Ottawa Senators and Toronto Maple Leafs. Since then, the Lightning dropped a pair of contests to the Montreal Canadiens and New Jersey Devils, losing both affairs by a 3-1 score. Then came Sunday's loss to the Rangers.

The Lightning have been limited to just three goals - one in each loss - over the skid. Notably, greater offensive support is needed from key contributors like Jonathan Drouin and Ondrej Palat, who have been held scoreless over the stretch. Captain Steven Stamkos has just one point in the last three games.

Tampa Bay now sits fourth in the Atlantic, with a 5-4-0 record, and will look to end the road trip on a high note Tuesday versus the New York Islanders.

Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Roberto Luongo is ready for Halloween, and his costume certainly cuts the mustard.

Predictably, the replies to his tweet included some Phil Kessel references, while others made reference to the age-old Twitter debate about whether or not a hot dog is a sandwich.

Let the debate rage on.

Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Roberto Luongo is ready for Halloween, and his costume certainly cuts the mustard.

Predictably, the replies to his tweet included some Phil Kessel references, while others made reference to the age-old Twitter debate about whether or not a hot dog is a sandwich.

Let the debate rage on.

Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

It appears Pavel Zacha is in for the long haul.

The New Jersey Devils' top prospect will reportedly stay with the club beyond the nine-game cut off, ultimately burning one year of his entry-level contract, according to Andrew Gross of The Record.

The 19-year-old was drafted sixth overall by the Devils in the 2015 draft, and is already slated as the team's first-line center, anchoring wingers Taylor Hall and Kyle Palmieri.

Zacha appeared in the Devils' final game last season, recording two assists, and has notched five helpers in nine career games.

Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Well, this is both adorable and creative.

A Washington Capitals fan dressed her young child up as Tom Wilson in a penalty box for Halloween.

Here's a closer look at the brilliant costume:

The baby's parents named him Troy Nicklas after former Washington forward Troy Brouwer and current Capitals center Nicklas Backstrom.

Wilson has racked up 150 penalty minutes in each of the last three seasons, but the only infraction committed by young Troy is that he's too cute.

- With h/t to Russian Machine Never Breaks

Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.