That's Wild The Minnesota Wild are facing an injury crisis and now they have to deal with a hearty push for the playoffs without two of their best impact players. We have become familiar with what this team looks like without Kirill Kaprizov but now that Joel Eriksson Ek is out with an injury he

Starting without the puck almost every opposing power play has been a killer. Joel Eriksson Ek has won 36.1 percent of his draws on the kill, while Marat Khusnutdinov has won 34.4. Freddy Gaudreau has been adequate at least, winning 47.1 percent of his draws (28th in the NHL, minimum 55 draws).

DENVER - The score and shot clock weren’t all that was lopsided between the Wild and Utah Hockey Club. So was the urgency, with Utah vying to catch up to a playoff spot and showing as much in a 6-1 drubbing Thursday against a Wild team propped up by a decent cushion thanks to their impressive first half.

Minnesota Wild forward Kirill Kaprizov turns up ice against the Utah Hockey Club during a Dec. 20, 2024, game at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.

The Minnesota Wild have been plagued by injuries in 2024-25. Kirill Kaprizov, arguably the team's best player, suffered a lower-body injury that required surgery in late January and while he was initially expected to miss around a month, that timeline has changed.

Clayton Keller had 5 points and has four goals and six assists in four games against the Wild since not making USA’s 4 Nations Face-Off roster (Wild president of hockey operations and general manager Bill Guerin was the GM).

Captain Clayton Keller had a career high and franchise record five points, a career-high four assists, and six different players scored as Utah tied its season-high for goals in a game with a 6-1 rout of the Minnesota Wild on Thursday. It was Utah's third straight win against Minnesota this season.