It may be days or even weeks before Minnesota Wild fans see superstar forward Kirill Kaprizov back on the rink in his game uniform, but at Thursday’s morning skate, coach John Hynes gave the first indication that better days may be ahead for the high-scoring Russian.

“Kirill is progressing. He’s skated the last two days,” Hynes said.

Kaprizov last played on Dec. 23, scoring his team-leading 23rd goal of the season in a win over the Chicago Blackhawks. He did not make the team’s post-Christmas trip to Dallas and, after being scratched from Thursday night’s game with Colorado, has now missed the past seven games with a lower-body injury.

Hynes said if there is a chance Kaprizov could play this weekend, either at San Jose on Saturday or at Vegas on Sunday, he will come on the trip with the team. If not, they could aim for Kaprizov’s return for a Jan. 15 home game versus Edmonton.

Despite the recent absence, Kaprizov’s 27 assists and 50 points continue to top the Wild’s offensive chart by a healthy margin.

Elsewhere on the team’s medical report, defenseman Brock Faber was scratched due to injury for the first time in his career after he left Tuesday’s win versus St. Louis midway through the first period. Faber was hit in the head by Blues forward Jake Neighbours on the opening shift of the game and is officially out with an upper-body injury.

After logging a career-high 33 minutes versus St. Louis, veteran defenseman Jonas Brodin also missed the Avalanche game with a lower-body injury. He blocked a Blues shot late in the game and is considered day to day.

On-ice family reunion

Avalanche coach Jared Bednar started Keaton Middleton on defense on Thursday. The part-time Colorado blueliner had a familiar face on the Wild bench, with his older brother Jake skating on the Wild’s blue line.

It marked the first time the siblings have faced each other on a NHL rink in the regular season. Jake, 29 and Keaton, 26, both played youth hockey in Stratford, Ontario, and both were part of the San Jose Sharks’ system before making their way to their respective teams.

Hotspot heroes

The timing, as it turns out, was perfect. As firefighters in Southern California are tirelessly battling the infernos that have engulfed Los Angeles this week, the Wild honored first responders on Thursday with Firefighter Appreciation Night.

The special ticket package included a Minnesota Wild firefighter t-shirt, and a portion of each ticket purchased went to benefit the St. Paul Fire Foundation. In addition, the hockey teams from the St. Paul and Duluth fire departments faced off in a friendly game at Xcel Energy Center on Thursday afternoon.

Butch Inks, the St. Paul fire chief and a former Como Park High School hockey player, led the traditional “Let’s Play Hockey” cheer prior to the opening faceoff.

Related Articles

Wild debut likely as David Jiricek is recalled from Iowa

Dramatic Wild win comes with a price as Brock Faber is injured

Wild excited for the future after Zeev Buium’s World Juniors heroics

Wild report: Rossi’s complete all-around game earns weekly NHL honor

Filip Gustavsson has a chilly night keeping the Hurricanes quiet