The Minnesota Wild have activated star Kirill Kaprizov and captain Jared Spurgeon from injured reserve to put two integral players back in the lineup.

Kirill Kaprizov and Jared Spurgeon could each return to the lineup for the Wild against the Utah Hockey Club on Thursday (8 p.m. ET; HULU, ESPN+). Each took part in line rushes at practice on Wednesday, and coach John Hynes said he is "cautiously optimistic" that they would play.

Dylan Loucks is the Site Admin and Reporter for the Minnesota Wild team site with The Hockey News. A resident of St. Paul, MN, Loucks has spent the last four years covering hockey and in his spare time likes to work on his expected goals model and other models he is creating.

Welcome back to NHL Predictions! In their fifth game of 2025, the San Jose Sharks take on one of the top teams in the Western Conference, the Minnesota Wild.

After recovering from stomach flu, Fleury was the best Wild player on the ice — by far — in lifting the Wild to a 3-1 win over the Sharks.

The Minnesota Wild took on the San Jose Sharks for the second time this season on the road in San Jose on Saturday, Jan. 12. It was the first game of the Wild’s back-to-back, and although they looked a bit off the whole game,

and the short-handed Minnesota Wild beat the San Jose Sharks 3-1 on Saturday night. The Wild, without leading scorer Kirill Kaprizov and several other key players, earned their fifth win in six games.

The Minnesota Wild activated star Kirill Kaprizov and captain Jared Spurgeon from injured reserve to put two integral players back in the lineup. Kaprizov missed 12 games with a lower-body

Sharks alternate captain Luke Kunin quickly dropped the gloves with Predators forward Cole Smith at the 6:54 mark. Right after the ensuing faceoff, Barclay Goodrow fought Nashville winger Michael McCarron at the 6:56 mark. Two seconds after the next faceoff, Ty Dellandrea had a quick scrap with Zachaery L’Heureux.

Yaroslav Askarov will make his first start against his former team when the San Jose Sharks host the Nashville Predators on Thursday night.

Read the recent NHL news and rumors about Tyler Toffoli for fantasy hockey. San Jose Sharks winger Tyler Toffoli (lower body) will be back

If no extension is reached by the trade deadline on March 7, the Blue Jackets would likely be in the market to receive a first-round pick offer for Provorov. He is listed as TSN's No. 21 trade-bait player, which is the sixth-overall defenseman and second-overall left-side defenseman.