Minnesota Wild star forward Kirill Kaprizov is out with a lower-body injury and did not travel with the team for their game against the Stars in Dallas on Friday (8 p.m. ET; FDSNNO, Victory+, FDSNWI) . It is evaluated daily.
“He was sore even before the holiday break,” said Wild head coach John Hynes. “With the absence of guys like Kirill, [Joel Eriksson Ek] et [Jake Middleton]some players will have to spend more minutes on the ice and take on a bigger role. This is a great opportunity for them to raise their game a notch. »
Kaprizov has missed just one game so far this season due to a lower-body injury suffered just over a month ago. He leads the Wild in goals (23) and points (50) after 35 games. He is second in goals and fourth in points in the NHL this season. He is the most taxed attacker on the circuit with an average usage of 22 min 37 s per match.
“He’s obviously one of their important players. It would have saved me a few minutes of preparation if I had known earlier that we were not going to face him,” said Stars head coach Peter DeBoer. “But with the Wild, the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. This team has four good lines, they play well in their zone, they have good goalies. Even though she has one less player in her lineup, she remains formidable. »
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