ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Minnesota Wild goaltender Josh Harding practiced with the team prior to the game against the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday. Harding has been out for two weeks due to illness.
Harding and the Wild have refused divulge whether his illness is related to his multiple sclerosis. He missed four games in December as doctors adjusted his medication for the disease.
"Wasn't feeling good, obviously," Harding said. "If I felt even a little bit like I could play, I would have. But there are some things that are out of my control."
Harding said he's been skating on his own for "three or four" days now, but Tuesday was seen as a major step toward getting him back in the lineup soon. Entering play Tuesday his 1.65 goals-against average is the best in the NHL and his .933 save percentage is second-best.
"The plan is to focus on [Tuesday]," Wild coach Mike Yeo said. "Obviously it's a good first step to get him on the ice."
Harding hasn't played since a 2-1 loss to the St. Louis Blues on Dec. 31.
Ottawa also got positive news on the injury front with forward Chris Neil close to returning from a hamstring injury. Neil has missed the Senators' past four games and hasn't suited up since Dec. 30.
"He probably could go if we absolutely needed him to," Senators coach Paul MacLean said. "But we really want to make sure, with the type of injury he has, that he's really ready to go. We want to make sure when he gets back in the lineup that he's playing in all the rest of the games and not just a couple."
Here are the projected lineups for the Senators and Wild:
SENATORS
Clarke MacArthur - Kyle Turris - Bobby Ryan
Cory Conacher - Mika Zibanejad - Milan Michalek
Colin Greening - Jason Spezza - Mark Stone
Matt Kassian - Zack Smith - Erik Condra
Marc Methot - Patrick Wiercioch
Scratched: Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Eric Gryba, Joe Corvo
Out: Chris Neil (hamstring)
WILD
Nino Niederreiter - Mikael Granlund - Jason Pominville
Jason Zucker - Charlie Coyle - Dany Heatley
Matt Cooke - Kyle Brodziak - Justin Fontaine
Stephane Veilleux - Erik Haula - Torrey Mitchell
Marco Scandella - Nate Prosser
Clayton Stoner - Jonathon Blum
Scratched: Mike Rupp, Keith Ballard
Injured: Zach Parise (fractured foot), Mikko Koivu (fractured ankle), Jared Spurgeon (foot), Josh Harding (illness)
NHL.com is the official web site of the National Hockey League. NHL, the NHL Shield, the word mark and image of the Stanley Cup, the Stanley Cup Playoffs logo, the Stanley Cup Final logo, Center Ice name and logo, NHL Conference logos, NHL Winter Classic name, and The Biggest Assist Happens Off The Ice are registered trademarks and Vintage Hockey word mark and logo, The Game Lives Where You Do, NHL Winter Classic logo, NHL Heritage Classic name and logo, NHL Stadium Series name and logo, NHL All-Star logo, NHL Face-Off name and logo, NHL. TV, NHL Premium, NHL After Dark, NHL GameCenter, NHL GameCenter LIVE, NHL Network name and logo, NHL Tonight name and logo, On The Fly, NHL Awards name and logo, NHL Draft name and logo, Hockey Fights Cancer, Because It's The Cup, NHL Green name and logo, NHL Vault, Hockey Is For Everyone, NHL Thanksgiving Showdown name and logo, NHL Centennial Classic name and logo, NHL Centennial Season logo, NHL100 Classic name and logo, NHL Global Series name and logo, NHL China Games name and logo, and Don't Miss A Moment are trademarks of the National Hockey League. All NHL logos and marks and NHL team logos and marks depicted herein are the property of the NHL and the respective teams and may not be reproduced without the prior written consent of NHL Enterprises, L.P. © NHL 2018. All Rights Reserved. All NHL team jerseys customized with NHL players' names and numbers are officially licensed by the NHL and the NHLPA. The Zamboni word mark and configuration of the Zamboni ice resurfacing machine are registered trademarks of Frank J. Zamboni & Co., Inc. © Frank J. Zamboni & Co., Inc. 2018. All Rights Reserved. Any other third party trademarks or copyrights are property of their respective owners. All rights reserved.