Minnesota Wild star forward Kirill Kaprizov is expected to miss three to four weeks with a lower-body injury after 6-7, 228-pound Winnipeg Jets defenseman Logan Stanley landed on top of him.
Stanley had checked Kaprizov during the third period of surging Minnesota’s 4-2 victory on Tuesday night, and his full weight came down on the Wild’s leading scorer, causing his leg to bend awkwardly.
The 5-10, 202-pound Kaprizov was slow to get up but was able to skate off the ice on his own power. He went to the dressing room and didn’t return.
Kaprizov, who won rookie of the year in 2020-21 and went to the All-Star Game this season and last, leads the Wild with 39 goals and 74 points. He scored a franchise-record 47 goals, 61 assists and 108 points last season.
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He has factored in on about 40% of the goals for the Wild’s 25th-ranked offense.
The Wild have earned at least a point in their last 11 games and had tied the Central Division-leading Dallas Stars with 81 points. But the Stars moved two points ahead with a 10-4 win against the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday night.
