STOCKHOLM — The Wild returned to the ice on Wednesday morning in Stockholm, looking to shake off some jet lag and focus on their penalty kill in the wake of their last game Sunday back in Minnesota during which they gave up five power-play goals to the Dallas Stars.

While a trip across the Atlantic Ocean to participate in the NHL’s Global Series promises to be a time of cultural learning and team bonding, there are four important points at stake.

“Who said that we’re here to have fun?” forward Kirill Kaprizov asked.

The 26-year-old returned to the ice with his teammates after missing practice on Monday for what coach Dean Evason called a “maintenance day.” The coach said Kaprizov had been “a little banged up.”

But on Wednesday, the forward said he felt good, proclaiming himself ready to go ahead of two weekend games in Sweden.

Though Kaprizov is currently second on the team with 15 points through the team’s first 15 games, his plus-minus of minus-11 is the worst on the team, and he knows there’s room for improvement for both him and the team.

“I feel OK,” Kaprizov said. “Obviously I could do a little better, but I continue to work hard and continue to do what I can and everything will be alright.”

An uptick in production from the superstar would go a long way for a team currently on a three-game losing streak and near the bottom of the Central division. The Wild’s first chance to stop that slide will be on Saturday when they take on the Ottawa Senators.

The team has an off day on Thursday before returning to practice on Friday, and Evason expressed hope that this week could serve as a reset of sorts for his slumping team.

“Hopefully this trip can do that,” he said. “We want to have some fun, too, but we remember what we’re here for, and that’s for four points, and hopefully we can accomplish that.”

While Kaprizov might not  be in the mood for fun right now, fellow center Joel Erikkson Ek, a native of Sweden, suggested that might be the way they find themselves back in the win column.

“We know we have to get back to winning, and we have to do it with work and really commit to how we want to play and do the right things on the blue lines and D zone and those kinds of things,” Erikkson Ek said. “At the same time, we’ve still got to have fun so we can really push each other to do the work. I think you have to have fun at the same time. Otherwise, it’s just going to be painful.”

Briefly

Forward Freddy Gaudreau and defenseman Alex Goligoski both participated in part of the Wild’s practice on Wednesday. While Evason said Goligoski was “a little further away,” than Gaudreau, he said it’s possible that Gaudreau returns for Sunday’s game against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Gaudreau did not take contact on Wednesday, but the expectation is that he will on Friday and the Wild will assess him from there. … Hundreds of fans who traveled from Minnesota took in practice on Wednesday and then participated in a mix-and-mingle session with Wild players.

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