from Michael Russo of the StarTribune,

Wild players are approaching the start of their playoff series against Dallas as if veteran winger Zach Parise will not be in the lineup when the series starts Thursday.

Parise is officially “day-to-day” because of an undisclosed injury. But Parise was at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester seeing a specialist Monday, according to multiple sources, a week after aggravating a back injury that has affected him since January....

Parise didn’t respond to interview requests. General Manager Chuck Fletcher declined to comment.

On March 23, Parise got a cortisone injection and felt better than ever when he scored three goals and assisted on another the next day against Calgary. A game later, he scored twice in Colorado and earned First Star of the Week honors in the NHL. But Parise’s discomfort flared up again during the San Jose game.

read on