Subscribe
Follow Us
The Minnesota Wild have been absolutely lights out as of late, winning nine of their last 11 games, but they were dealt a serious injury blow on Wednesday when superstar Kirill Kaprizov exited the game early with a lower body injury.
The team's most electric player and relied-upon scorer was injured nine minutes into the third period, when 6-foot-7 Winnipeg Jets' defenseman Logan Stanley fell on top of the young Russian.
“Kaprizov folded to the ice and his legs awkwardly did the splits before Stanley’s weight landed on Kaprizov’s left leg,” wrote The Athletic's Michael Russo on Thursday. “The pain was obvious in Kaprizov’s face immediately. He had trouble getting to his feet, then hobbled back to the defensive zone.”
The full play can be seen below:
Kirill Kaprizov heads to the locker room after Logan Stanley falls on him. pic.twitter.com/UcjofxGpKW
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) March 9, 2023
Kaprizov favored his left leg before limping down the tunnel, not returning to the game as the Wild won 4-2. Wild head coach Dean Evason had no update on his best player after the game, but he is set to undergo a full examination during Thursday's day off in Minnesota.
Logan Stanley was apologetic about the situation, but admitted there was no malice behind it.
“He stopped and I tried to finish my check on him,” Stanley said. “Then I just fell on top of him…I wasn’t expecting him to go down. It’s just an unfortunate play.”
It would be a crushing blow for the Minnesota Wild if Kirill Kaprizov misses any time at all; he's leading the team in scoring and tied for 15th in the league with 39 goals and 74 points in just 64 games.
With points in 11 straight games, the Wild are tied with the Dallas Stars for the top spot in the Central Division. But the team is completely different without Kaprizov.
The 25-year-old superstar has only missed two games in his NHL career.
