on his left middle finger.

The Minnesota Wild were hit with a major setback in their first-round playoff matchup with Winnipeg Joe Theismann Jersey , a broken sternum for left wing Zach Parise suffered in the last game that will keep him out for at least the remainder of the series and likely longer if they advance.

The Wild revealed the injury about three hours before Game 4 against the Jets, with a vague announcement on Tuesday by general manager Chuck Fletcher that declared Parise’s status as ”week to week.”

Parise took a hard hit to the chest area with about four minutes remaining in Game 3 and the Wild leading 6-2, when he was sandwiched by Jets center Mark Scheifele and defenseman Ben Chiarot. Parise didn’t appear shaken up, and he spoke to reporters afterward without any sign of discomfort.

Tyler Ennis took Parise’s place in the lineup, and coach Bruce Boudreau shuffled his top three lines to adjust to the absence. Asked following the team’s morning skate if Ennis would play, Boudreau quipped, ”Why would we change the lineup? We won. That’s my answer to that.”

The Wild are already missing standout defenseman Ryan Suter because of a broken right ankle, leaving the two friends who changed the course of the franchise by signing identical 13-year, $98 million contracts in free agency in 2012 on the shelf for the most important time of the season.

Parise scored in each of the first three games of the series. He is the Wild’s all-time playoffs leader with 14 goals and 31 points, and including his time with New Jersey he’s the most accomplished postseason skater on the roster with 74 career points in the playoffs.

After recovering from microdiskectomy surgery on his back that kept him out of the first 39 games Matt Slauson Jersey , Parise found his stride down the stretch and tallied 12 goals and four assists in the last 19 games of the regular season. The Wild went 24-10-8 with him in the lineup and 10-2-1 when he scored a goal.

”He did great. Even when he came back, I said that it would be 20 games before he got his game together,” Boudreau said. ”But if anybody knows Zach, he’s one of the hardest workers around, and he worked himself into getting ready to play. And when his back wasn’t hurting, that was tremendous, and then once he started getting back to normal, he became the player that everybody thought he was.”

The Wild, who’ve become well-accustomed to key players missing this season, were more concerned about Parise for the moment. Boudreau said he saw the ”sadness on his face” after learning of the diagnosis on Monday.

”Here’s a guy that’s worked so hard to get back to where he was and so hard to want to play for his hometown and bring glory Randy Gregory Jersey ,” Boudreau said, ”and he finally gets to that spot and this happens, you know?”

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The last time Clayton Kershaw pitched at Wrigley Field, the ace left-hander helped lead the Los Angeles Dodgers into the World Series.

It was a much different situation Monday. But still important for the Dodgers.

Kershaw threw a three-inning simulated game before Los Angeles’ series opener against the Chicago Cubs was postponed, taking another step forward in his recovery from a strained lower back. The three-time NL Cy Young Award winner said he felt really good and plans to pitch somewhere in four or five days, either in a minor league rehab start or for the Dodgers.

”It was good, very encouraged,” manager Dave Roberts said. ”Just the way that the ball was coming out today, the command of the fastball as good as it’s been for me – and obviously this setting is not a major league game – but for me the best it’s been in a month, for sure.”

The 30-year-old Kershaw was sidelined for nearly a month with left biceps tendinitis before returning May 31 against Philadelphia. He tossed five effective innings in a no-decision against the Phillies Chris Ivory Jersey , and then went back on the disabled list the next day with the back injury.

The Dodgers said over the weekend that Kershaw was headed for a simulated game Tuesday or Wednesday – in Los Angeles. But Kershaw said that was just one of the plans in the mix.

”I knew it was probably going to be here,” he said. ”It’s just more of a logistical thing. It’s just harder to do in L.A. Nobody’s there when you go on the road.

”It’s just when you have hitters in there it’s good to see some, even though it’s a sim game at least you have them reacting. It was a little bit better today.”

The trip brought Kershaw back to one of the best moments of his outstanding career, a crisp six innings in an 11-1 victory over Chicago in Game 5 of the NL Championship Series last October – sending Los Angeles to the World Series for the first time since 1988. The Dodgers then lost to the Astros in seven games for the title.

He also was greeted by some Los Angeles-like weather, with temperatures in the mid-90s on a steamy day in the Midwest.

”It was hot,” he said. ”It was good, it lets you get loose.”

Kershaw is 1-4 with a 2.76 ERA in just eight starts this year for Los Angeles, which has been riddled by injuries. He missed about five weeks last season with a similar back injury.

While Roberts left open the possibility Kershaw could return this weekend against the Mets, he said the organization was leaning toward a rehab start, likely with Triple-A Oklahoma City.

”You look at how much he’s pitched over the last two months and it hasn’t been a whole lot Womens Aaron Rodgers Jersey ,” he said. ”So to see it in real competition, obviously that makes a lot of sense.”

Los Angeles had won five of six heading into the three-game set with Chicago. The opener was postponed because of rain and a limited power outage at Wrigley, creating a day-night doubleheader on Tuesday.

The Dodgers have more help on the way than just Kershaw.

Rich Hill is slated to start Tuesday night in his first major league game since May 19. The veteran left-hander has been sidelined by a blister on his left middle finger.

Infielder Chase Utley, who has been sidelined by left thumb sprain, is expected to come off the DL on Tuesday or Wednesday. Rookie right-hander Walker Buehler, one of baseball’s top pitching prospects, is scheduled for a bullpen session Saturday in New York, continuing his comeback from a right rib microfracture.

”From that point on we’ll have a little more information and figure out how aggressive we’ll want to be with him,” Roberts said.

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Jay Cohen can be reached at Arizona Cardinals Customized Jerseys