Late in the Minnesota Wild’s Tuesday morning practice at Xcel Energy Center, recovering star forward Kirill Kaprizov caught a pass in the corner and was immediately checked into the boards by a teammate — not an overly hard check, but the kind of normal contact that puck-carriers face in the heat of an NHL game.
Almost all of the building’s 18,000-plus seats were empty, but their star player taking a check was perhaps the best thing that Wild fans could have seen in months.
While making no promises that Kaprizov would return to the lineup for Wednesday night’s game versus San Jose, Wild coach John Hynes has made it clear that the left wing being exposed to contact in practice is another step in his long road back to the line chart.
That goes for center Joel Eriksson Ek, as well.
Kaprizov has played three games since the Christmas break and had surgery to repair a lower body injury on Jan. 31. Eriksson Ek has been out of the lineup since late February, also with a lower body injury.
“It’s the first time they’ve had (contact) in that type of environment,” Hynes said. “They have had contact and did some battling and stuff like that with each other … but that was the first time (for) kind of a five-on-five situation.”
While acknowledging that Tuesday was a positive step, Hynes stopped short of saying it was the final step until having a chance to talk with the team’s trainers.
“I would keep it vague right now because it just changes so much,” he said. “This was the next progression, for them to get into a regular practice, five-on-five drills, normal stuff, other guys out there, not in such a controlled setting. … And then it will truly come down to, I think, how they respond to this, how comfortable they feel.”
Hynes said defenseman Jake Middleton, injured in a road loss to the New York Islanders last Friday, will not return to face the Sharks because of an upper body injury.
Fourth-line work helps snap losing streak
After every Wild win, a player who had a superlative role in the victory is recognized for their hard work on the ice with a thick chain that holds a green sign with the word “HARD” emblazoned on it in red lettering.
Stars such as Matt Boldy, Marco Rossi and goalie Filip Gustavsson have been the obvious recipients of the award on many occasions, but following the overtime win over Dallas on Sunday, the team’s fourth line was acknowledged, with winger Devin Shore wearing the chain.
The trio of Shore and wingers Yakov Trenin and Justin Brazeau didn’t appear on the score sheet in the 3-2 victory, but their solid work in countering the Stars and playing key minutes was recognized on a team where every healthy body has played a role in the team staying in the playoff hunt.
“It’s always nice, but we don’t do it for the recognition, especially this time of year,” Shore said. “The individual recognition doesn’t really matter. You win or you lose or you get a point. That’s really all that matters this time of year.”
He added that the mindset of bringing intensity and a “jam” to every shift has led to the fourth line’s success. After the Wild went 0-1-2 on their three-game East Coast trip, having all four lines and all six defenders contribute versus Dallas was vital.
“No passengers. Everyone was ready to go and that’s the response you need after the week like we had,” Boldy said following the win. “I think that’s more of the team that we’re used to and expect from each other. So, for us to go out there and play that way after kind of the struggles we’ve been going through, I think speaks a lot to a group.”
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