(Saint Paul) Star left winger Kirill Kaprizov is expected to miss three to four weeks with a lower-body injury, the Minnesota Wild announced Thursday.
Kaprizov was injured in Wednesday’s game against the Winnipeg Jets when giant-size defenseman Logan Stanley came into contact with him. Stanley’s momentum sent all of his weight onto Kaprizov’s upper back, who then fell to the ice as his left knee bent in an odd way.
In his third year with the Wild, Kaprizov has played in 214 of the team’s 216 games, including the playoffs, but the injury is expected to miss most of the rest of the season.
The Wild still have 17 games to play. His victory in Winnipeg allowed him to join the Dallas Stars at the top of the Central Division, but the Texas team played one game less.
Kaprizov leads the Wild with 39 goals, tying him for sixth in the NHL going into Thursday’s matchup. The Minnesota formation occupies the 26e level of the Bettman circuit with an average of 2.75 goals per game and Kaprizov participated in 41% of the goals of his troop.
The Wild, who are 9-0-2 in their last 11 outings, recalled forward Sammy Walker from their American League academy. He will face the San Jose Sharks on Saturday night.