The Wild had their best player back for the first time in a month, but they didn’t play like it. Kirill Kaprizov’s return was spoiled by a 4-0 shellacking from Utah Hockey Club on Thursday night at Xcel Energy Center that continued the Wild’s woes at home.

Despite Thursday’s tough outcome, Wild players were thrilled to have their captain and star forward back in the lineup.

Michael Russo and Joe Smith of The Athletic are reporting that Minnesota Wild forward Kirill Kaprizov could require surgery. The superstar recently returned after missing time and has played in three games since his attempted comeback on January 23 against Utah.

As per Michael Russo, the Minnesota Wild are set to activate Kirill Kaprizov and Jared Spurgeon from the injured reserve and long-term injured reserve.

Minnesota Wild head coach John Hynes said he is "cautiously optimistic" that star forward Kirill Kaprizov and captain Jared Spurgeon will return to the lineup against the Utah Hockey Club on Thursday.

Superstar winger Kirill Kaprizov and veteran defenseman Jared Spurgeon returned to practice on Wednesday. Head coach John Hynes told reporters he's "cautiously optimistic" that both will play in their upcoming game against the Utah Hockey Club at Xcel Energy Center.

Their lineup got a big boost Thursday when star Kirill Kaprizov and captain Jared Spurgeon were activated from injured reserve. The two were in the lineup for the Wild's 4-0 loss to Utah.

The Wild survived without Kirill Kaprizov the first time, and they can do it again. That’s the message they sent Wednesday when they upended the Maple Leafs 3-1 at Scotiabank Arena to kick off Kaprizov’s second hiatus with a statement victory.

Filip Gustavsson made 32 saves for the Minnesota Wild in a 3-1 win against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena on Wednesday. “We had really strong work ethic,” Minnesota coach John Hynes said.

The Utah Hockey Club is one step closer to having a permanent nickname, and it won't be the "Yetis" or "Yeti." ESPN's Greg Wyshynski reported on Wednesday that the team will no longer consider those two nicknames,

Minnesota Wild star Kirill Kaprizov needs surgery on the lingering lower-body injury he recently returned from and will be sidelined for at least a month. General manager Bill Guerin said