Jared Spurgeon scored what turned out to be the winning goal in the first period and the visiting Minnesota Wild went on to defeat the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-1 on Wednesday night.

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

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.”

Goalie Filip Gustavsson’s 18 saves and Marcus Foligno’s empty-netter preserved earlier goals from captain Jared Spurgeon, Frederick Gaudreau and Joel Eriksson Ek on Sunday night as the Wild ...

Jared Spurgeon, Joel Eriksson Ek and Frederick Gaudreau scored to help the Minnesota Wild top the Chicago Blackhawks 4-2. Matt Boldy had three assists for Minnesota in the opener of

Being in a U.S. market where hockey is the number one sport in the state, today is another example of why it’s great to be here,” Wild coach John Hynes said.

Joel Eriksson Ek added a power play marker in the second period as Minnesota got 18 saves from Filip Gustavsson, winning for the sixth time in their last eight games on the road. Marcus Foligno

Barrett Hayton scored two goals, and the Utah Hockey Club pulled away for a 4-0 win over the Minnesota Wild on Thursday night in Saint Paul, Minn. Clayton Keller and Lawson Crouse also scored for Utah, which won its third game in a row. Nick DeSimone finished with a pair of assists.

Kaprizov had a couple scoring chances for the Wild (28-16-4), who were delighted to get their superstar back after he missed the last 12 games with a lower-body injury. Karel Vejmelka made 26 saves for Utah (21-19-7) in what was just their second shutout win of the season.

Karel Vejmelka made 26 saves for his first shutout of the season, Barrett Hayton scored twice and Utah beat the Minnesota Wild 4-0 on Thursday night for its third straight victory.

The Minnesota Wild found relief from their rut with their most tried-and-true remedy: playing on the road. Like clockwork, they left St. Paul ... goals from captain Jared Spurgeon, Frederick ...

The Minnesota Wild have activated star Kirill Kaprizov and captain Jared Spurgeon from injured reserve to put two integral players back in the lineup. Kaprizov missed 12 games with a