Wild star Kirill Kaprizov is back in action.

After missing the past 12 games with a lower-body injury that popped up after the holiday break, Kaprizov was set to make his highly anticipated return on Thursday night at Xcel Energy Center.

Asked about missing the past month, Kaprizov emphasized how happy he is to be back with his teammates, saying, “It’s a nice feeling.”

Notably, Kaprizov wouldn’t go into detail about what caused him to miss an extended period of time. He admitted that he missed more than time than he originally expected, adding that he’s hopeful this wo’t affect him moving forward.

“Just something happened,” Kaprizov said. “Just don’t want to talk about it.”

Whatever he’s been dealing with over the past month, the Wild are certainly happy to have him back. As admirably as they performed in his absence, going 7-5-0 without him, they have clearly missed his presence in the lineup.

It wasn’t too long ago that Kaprizov was viewed by many as the frontrunner for the Hart Trophy. The pace he was on is best illustrated by the fact the he still leads the Wild with 50 points (23 goals, 27 assists).

Though it’s going to be nearly impossible for Kaprizov to get back in that conversation for the Hart Trophy, he made it clear that he isn’t worried about his individual numbers.

“I don’t think about points,” Kaprizov said. “I just want to feel good in the game.”

Asked if he thinks he can get back to that level he was at before he was forced to miss so much time, Kaprizov cracked a smile, then seemed to show confidence in himself, saying, “I hope so.”

Spurgeon also back

As he left the ice on New Year’s Eve following a dirty play in the corner, Wild captain Jared Spurgeon admitted that he was fearing the worst.

“It was definitely scary at that point,” Spurgeon said. “There was a couple of things that didn’t feel right.”

A slew foot from Predators winger Zachary L’Heureux caused him to go awkwardly into the boards, and while Spurgeon didn’t want to go into details about the play itself, he noted that he was pleasantly surprised with the prognosis.

“Just did what the doctors said and it seemed to work,” Spurgeon said. “Just good to get back out there and get going again.”

The fervor with which Spurgeon attacked the recovery process was noticeable to Wild head coach John Hynes. Asked about his motivation level over the past few weeks, Spurgeon hinted that it he something to do with how last season went down, saying, “I’ve missed enough time.”

Now he’s back and the Wild couldn’t be happier heading into a matchup with the Utah Hockey Club.

Related Articles

Wild move clears way for returns of Kirill Kaprizov and Jared Spurgeon

Renewed defensive emphasis powers Wild bounce-back in Colorado

Afternoon is mostly a delight for Wild

No late letdown this time, as Wild pull away from Avalanche in the third

In Nashville, hero to villain to hero again for Wild’s Yakov Trenin