Minnesota Wild injury update: GM Bill Guerin gives major update on Kirill Kaprizov and Jared Spurgeon

Minnesota Wild general manager Bill Guerin shared updates on their injured players Kirill Kaprizov and Jared Spurgeon. Kaprizov has missed four games due to a lower-body injury and won’t play on Saturday against the Carolina Hurricanes. Guerin said the team is being careful to avoid making the injury worse.

Guerin stressed the importance of having Kirill Kaprizov healthy for the long term, even if it means waiting longer.

“It’s still just kind of day to day,” Guerin said, via The Athletic, “We’re just still trying to work through what he has. The thing is that we don’t want him to come back and push through. He could, but it could make something worse.

"We need him for the long haul. We don’t just need him for a couple games in January. We need him to get healthy and feel better, so we’re trying to do the right thing and just look at it from the long point of view.” Guerin added.

Kirill Kaprizov, who has 23 goals and 27 assists this season, remains a key player for the Wild. Guerin said the injury is day-to-day, but the exact return date is still uncertain. The Wild backdated his injured reserve status, so he can return when ready.

Guerin also shared his frustration about Nashville Predators player Zachary L'Heureux's hit that led to Spurgeon’s injury.

"In the end, it doesn’t get our player back." Guerin said. That’s what makes me lose sleep at night is they get their player back in three games. Ours is out two to three weeks.”

The Wild are managing without key players as they look forward to their returns.

Minnesota Wild defeated the Capitals without Kirill Kaprizov in the lineup

The Minnesota Wild defeated the Washington Capitals 4-3 in a shootout on Thursday at Capital One Arena, winning four of their last five games. Kirill Kaprizov was not part of the Wild's lineup.

Tom Wilson opened the scoring for Washington at 10:19 of the first period, tapping in a rebound. Ryan Hartman tied it 1-1 a minute later by deflecting Zach Bogosian’s shot past Charlie Lindgren.

Yakov Trenin gave the Wild a 2-1 lead late in the first with a shorthanded goal, taking advantage of Lindgren’s misplay. Alex Ovechkin tied the game 2-2 in the second period, scoring on a wrist shot during a power play.

In the third, Martin Fehervary put Washington ahead 3-2, but Marco Rossi quickly tied it, scoring off his own rebound. In the shootout, Matt Boldy scored the lone goal as Marc-Andre Fleury stopped Ovechkin from securing the win.