It is safe to say the Wild are excited to get Spurgeon back into the lineup and start to get healthy again. Faber has been back in the lineup the last couple of games and Kaprizov

The Minnesota Wild are trying to stay afloat near the top of the West, a mission that will be easier if Kirill Kaprizov and Jared Spurgeon return Thursday, as expected.

Kaprizov last played on Dec. 23 against Chicago. He missed 12 games with a lower-body injury that lingered longer than the Wild initially believed it would, taking a cautious midseason approach to the return of their leading scorer and first line left wing.

The Wild activated star Kirill Kaprizov and captain Jared Spurgeon from injured reserve before their game against Utah on Thursday, putting two integral players back in the lineup.

The Minnesota Wild host the Utah Hockey Club Thursday night at Xcel Energy Center, and could be getting two of their best players back from injury. Forward Kirill Kaprizov and defenseman Jared Spurgeon were on the ice with the team at practice on Wednesday at TRIA Rink.

The Minnesota Wild will have two pivotal players in the lineup Thursday for the first time since late December.Kirill Kaprizov and Jared Spurgeon will play against the Utah Hockey Club, sources told The Athletic's Michael Russo.

The Minnesota Wild announced on Thursday that the team has activated forward Kirill Kaprizov and captain Jared Spurgeon from Injured Reserve. Both will play in the game tonight versus the Utah Hockey Club.

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.

ST PAUL, Minn. — Minnesota Wild coach John Hynes is "cautiously optimistic" that star forward Kirill Kaprizov and defenseman Jared Spurgeon will be in the lineup on Thursday.

Kirill Kaprizov didn’t think he’d be out of commission for as long as he was, but the Wild winger believes he’s put the injury that sidelined him for the last month behind him. Kaprizov will return tonight against Utah Hockey Club at Xcel Energy Center after sitting out 12 games because of a lower-body injury.

A couple of weeks ago, the NHL announced the first and second Quarter-Century teams for the Minnesota Wild, and it’s time to take a look at who they chose.

It was a tale of two games for the Minnesota Wild’s defenders. Minnesota was down Jared Spurgeon and Jonas Brodin against the Nashville Predators and Colorado Avalanche. Meanwhile, Brock Faber returned from his upper-body injury against Nashville.