RALEIGH, N.C. — Matt Dumba adores Joel Eriksson Ek, but man, did the Wild defenseman want to plunk the center across the melon during an afternoon practice at Tampa’s Amalie Arena on Wednesday and then use that, as one person quipped, “goofy, dopey,” almost expressionless face like a punching bag the way Eriksson Ek’s opponents do on a nightly basis.



“You just want to slash him across the head,” Dumba said, shaking his head. “He just plays hard. He’s strong. He’s physically imposing, and that just annoys the heck out of you. This guy’s just always over you, I feel. In practice sometimes, it’s like, ‘Come on, just leave me alone already.’”



On Wednesday, just 15 hours after Eriksson Ek suffocated a couple Florida Panthers into losing their absolute minds, all Dumba and the rest of the Wild’s two power-play units wanted to do was zip the puck around the offensive zone and feel...