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

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — The Minnesota Wild activated star Kirill Kaprizov and captain Jared Spurgeon from injured reserve before their game against Utah on Thursday, putting two integral players ...

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — The Minnesota Wild have managed to hold together a highly competitive team all season despite a series of injuries that have sidelined several of their most important players.

Jared Spurgeon, Joel Eriksson Ek and Frederick Gaudreau scored to help the Minnesota Wild top the Chicago Blackhawks 4-2.

Goalie Filip Gustavsson’s 18 saves and Marcus Foligno’s empty-netter preserved earlier goals from captain Jared Spurgeon, Frederick Gaudreau and Joel Eriksson Ek as the Wild moved to 18-5-3 on the road.

Joel Eriksson Ek added a power play marker in the second period as Minnesota got 18 saves from Filip Gustavsson, winning for the sixth time in their last eight games on the road. Marcus Foligno

Paulius Murauskas had 24 points and Saint Mary's beat San Francisco 71-51 on Thursday night to extend its winning streak to seven games.

Kaprizov had a couple scoring chances for the Wild (28-16-4), who were delighted to get their superstar back after he missed the last 12 games with a lower-body injury. Karel Vejmelka made 26 saves for Utah (21-19-7) in what was just their second shutout win of the season.

Barrett Hayton scored two goals, and the Utah Hockey Club pulled away for a 4-0 win over the Minnesota Wild on Thursday night in Saint Paul, Minn.

The Minnesota Wild are set to receive a huge boost in their upcoming game against the Utah Hockey Club. Following multiple weeks of absence due to injury, the W

One of the players, Kirill Kaprizov, is the leading scorer on the Wild. The other, Jared Spurgeon, is the team captain and a respected leader in the dressing room."It's exciting," Eriksson Ek said. "Two very important players for us. It's fun to have them back out there."

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.