31 December 2023
Kirill Kaprizov, who left Saturday’s game in Winnipeg after taking a couple of cross checks to the kidneys from Jets defenseman Brenden Dillon, was scratched from Sunday’s rematch at Xcel Energy Center.
So was goaltender Filip Gustavsson, who was injured in the second period and replaced by Marc-Andre Fleury in the third period of a 4-2 loss at Canada Life Centre.
Before Sunday’s 1 p.m. puck drop, John Hynes said he had no updates on either player because they were still being evaluated. Asked if he were concerned the injuries might be long-term, the Wild coach said, “It’s obviously always a concern, with both guys, because they’re not in condition to play today.”
“But,” he added, “I don’t really want to speculate on it because I think it’s important that they get evaluated properly. It could be something minor, it could be something a little bit more than that.”
Fleury will start Sunday’s game, the veteran’s 1,000th NHL game, and Nic Petan will sub in at left wing after being recalled from Iowa in the morning. Goaltender Zane McIntyre, also recalled Sunday, will be the backup.
Gustavsson stopped 19 of 22 shots before leaving, and Hynes said his injury is not related to any lingering ailment.
Kaprizov, the Wild’s points leader with 13 goals and 34 points, left after being hit in the lower back with Dillon’s stick. After the second hit, he leaned back in obvious pain, and appeared compromised when he rejoined the play. There was no penalty called, and Hynes said he wasn’t given any clarification, “Other than it was obviously a missed call.”
Dillon was in the lineup Sunday. Asked if the NHL was reviewing the play, Hynes said he and general manager Bill Guerin talked about the possibility on Saturday night but the two hadn’t connected yet on Sunday morning.
Reached by text, Guerin said he couldn’t comment on league issues.
Last March, Kaprizov missed a month after Logan Stanley dog-piled him into the ice in Winnipeg. The Jets defenseman received a 2-minute minor but no supplemental discipline.
Jonas Brodin, one of the Wild’s top two defensemen, hasn’t played since Dec. 8, and is on long-term injured reserve, because of a reckless hit by Edmonton’s Evander Kane. Kane wasn’t penalized on the ice, or by the NHL.
“From an organization standpoint, I think (Guerin) does a good job — all the general managers that I’ve worked with. It’s their team,” Hynes said. “They care about the players. They always talk to the league, but the league has protocol and decisions that they make, and I think your job as an organization and as a general manager is to be able to stick up for your players and make sure that you’re trying to do right by it but at the end of the day the league makes the final ruling.”