The Minnesota Wild will have neither superstar Kirill Kaprizov nor captain Jared Spurgeon in their lineup against the Washington Capitals on Thursday night.
Kaprizov has not skated with the team since December 23, missing three games with a lower-body injury. Minnesota placed the 27-year-old forward on injured reserve on Wednesday. The Russian winger has been one of the most productive players in the NHL this season, posting 50 points (23g, 27a) in 34 games.
Despite his typical high-scoring ability, Kaprizov has never recorded a point against the Capitals in four prior games. The Wild recalled forward Brendan Gaunce on Wednesday to fill Kaprizov’s roster spot while he’s out of action.
We have recalled forward Brendan Gaunce and defenseman Carson Lambos from Iowa.
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— Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) January 1, 2025
While the source of Kaprizov’s injury is unclear, Spurgeon’s is obvious. The 35-year-old defender was slew-footed into the boards by Nashville Predators forward Zachary L’Heureux on Tuesday and needed assistance getting off the ice.
Spurgeon never returned to the game, and L’Heureux was assessed a match penalty for the play. L’Heureux is set to have a phone hearing with the NHL’s Department of Player Safety on Thursday.
According to The Athletic’s Joe Smith, Spurgeon was spotted on crutches wearing a big leg brace after the game. Spurgeon has averaged the fourth-most minutes per game for Minnesota (20:43), including 2:01 of power-play ice time per game.
The Wild will have a familiar face in net as Marc-Andre Fleury will get the start against Washington, per The Athletic’s Michael Russo. Fleury has started 46 career games against the Capitals, and no goaltender has given up more goals to Alex Ovechkin, 27, than the 40-year-old former Pittsburgh Penguins backstop.
Minnesota is one of the league’s top teams this season, just two points (50) behind the Capitals (52) in the overall NHL standings. They are 23-11-4 through 38 games and are 13-3-3 away from home ice.
