The Minnesota Wild are getting a perfect storm of returns for Thursday evening against the Utah Hockey Club as both star forward Kirill Kaprizov and defenseman Jared Spurgeon have been activated from IR.

David’s come in and I think he’s really shown some of his very good attributes,” John Hynes said, with a nod to Jiricek’s imposing 6-foot-3 frame. “You can’t teach size.”

The Minnesota Wild are trying to stay atop the West, a mission that will be easier if Kirill Kaprizov and Jared Spurgeon return Thursday.

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.

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.

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

Coach John Hynes, per Michael Russo of The Athletic, told reporters he is " cautiously optimistic " that star forward Kirill Kaprizov and captain/defenceman Jared Spurgeon will return from injury Thursday against the Utah Hockey Club.

The Minnesota Wild are getting some firepower back into their lineup. Forward Kirill Kaprizov and defenceman Jared Spurgeon have been activated from injured reserve, the team announced Thursday. Spurgeon suffered an apparent leg injury when he was slew-footed by Nashville's Zachary L’Heureux on Dec.

In the middle frame, Chicago’s Nick Foligno was whistled for holding Wild star forward Kirill Kaprizov, and complained a bit too forcefully about the call, drawing a second penalty. Minnesota made it 3-0 on the extended power play, as Eriksson Ek recorded his ninth goal of the season and second of the weekend.

Jared Spurgeon, Frederick Gaudreau and Joel Eriksson Ek scored to give the visiting Minnesota Wild a three-goal edge, and they held on to beat the Chicago Blackhawks 4-2 on Sunday.

CHICAGO -- Matt Boldy had three assists, and the Minnesota Wild held on for a 4-2 victory against the Chicago Blackhawks at United Center on Sunday. Boldy has 14 points (five goals, nine assists) in his past 11 games.