The Wild had their best player back for the first time in a month, but they didn’t play like it. Kirill Kaprizov’s return was spoiled by a 4-0 shellacking from Utah Hockey Club on Thursday night at Xcel Energy Center that continued the Wild’s woes at home.

Kaprizov (lower body) will be back in the lineup versus Utah on Thursday, Michael Russo of The Athletic reports. Kaprizov will return to the lineup for the first time since Dec. 23 against Chicago, a stretch of 12 games on long-term injured reserve.

Michael Russo and Joe Smith of The Athletic are reporting that Minnesota Wild forward Kirill Kaprizov could require surgery. The superstar recently returned after missing time and has played in three games since his attempted comeback on January 23 against Utah.

Despite Thursday’s tough outcome, Wild players were thrilled to have their captain and star forward back in the lineup.

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.

As per Michael Russo, the Minnesota Wild are set to activate Kirill Kaprizov and Jared Spurgeon from the injured reserve and long-term injured reserve.

Kirill Kaprizov will return to the lineup for the Minnesota Wild against the Utah Hockey Club on Thursday (8 p.m. ET; HULU, ESPN+). The forward has missed the past 12 games because of a lower-body injury that was considered day to day.

Minnesota Wild coach John Hynes and winger Marcus Foligno react after a 4-0 loss to Utah Thursday night at Xcel Energy Center as Kirill Kaprizov and Jared Spurgeon returned to the lineup from injuries.

Filip Gustavsson made 32 saves for the Minnesota Wild in a 3-1 win against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena on Wednesday. “We had really strong work ethic,” Minnesota coach John Hynes said.

The Wild survived without Kirill Kaprizov the first time, and they can do it again. That’s the message they sent Wednesday, when they upended the Maple Leafs 3-1 at Scotiabank Arena to kick off Kaprizov’s second hiatus with their most convincing victory in weeks.

The Utah Hockey Club is one step closer to having a permanent nickname, and it won't be the "Yetis" or "Yeti." ESPN's Greg Wyshynski reported on Wednesday that the team will no longer consider those two nicknames,