Minnesota Wild head coach John Hynes provided an encouraging update on the status of center Marco Rossi ahead of their matchup against the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday.
Rossi suffered an injury after taking a shot to his left knee from teammate Matt Boldy during the Wild's 4-0 win over the Seattle Kraken on Wednesday night.
Rossi played just three minutes in the first period before exiting the game. The injury initially looked concerning, but coach Hynes expressed optimism that Rossi will be able to play against the Sabres.
"Hynes says “strong possibility but not a guarantee” Brodin returns tomorrow. He thinks Rossi and Johansson play tomorrow." As per The Athletic's Michael Russo.
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Hynes also said forward Marcus Johansson (illness) and defenseman Jonas Brodin (upper-body injury) are expected to return for the next game. Rossi has been a key contributor this season with 21 goals and 32 assists for 53 points in 69 games.
Injury update for Minnesota Wild' winger Kirill Kaprizov
Minnesota Wild star winger Kirill Kaprizov is expected to be back on the ice next week, per Michael Russo. He’s been sidelined since January 14 after having surgery for a lower-body injury.
Before the setback, Kaprizov was putting up MVP-caliber numbers, with 23 goals and 52 points in just 37 games.
“I believe we’re gonna, about a week from today, maybe a week from yesterday, see Kaprizov on the ice. Eriksson Ek, I’m a little less certain what’s going on with him… Russo said to KFAN on Friday.
"As long as there’s been no setbacks [for Kaprizov], which I have no reason to believe, I think we’re going to see him on the ice next week.”
He missed significant time at the end of last season due to injury as well, and admitted after the playoff loss to Dallas that he felt rusty and needed more games to get up to speed.
“I think Kirill would love to get two or three games before the end of the regular season, to go into the playoff feeling good… Russo said.
Kaprizov wants to avoid that scenario again this year by returning for 2-3 regular season games to find his legs before the postseason. With just 13 games left in the regular season, the Minnesota Wild currently occupy the first of two wild card spots in the Western Conference with 83 points.
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