Gustav Nyquist returns from injury, makes his Wild debut

Gustav Nyquist had to wait almost six weeks to finally suit up for the Wild after getting

traded from Columbus, but Nyquist's layoff in between games was even longer.

The winger's Wild debut on Saturday vs. St. Louis at Xcel Energy Center was his first appearance since Jan. 25, when he suffered a shoulder injury that didn't dissuade the Wild from acquiring him for a fifth-round draft pick on Feb. 28.

"We just came to the decision that it's good enough to go," Nyquist said. "So, I'm really excited to get in there, some game action, and get some games in here before the playoffs."

Nyquist, wearing No. 28, skated alongside Sam Steel and Marcus Foligno in a reworked Wild lineup.

Missing were Joel Eriksson Ek and Oskar Sundqvist. Both sustained lower-body injuries on Thursday at Pittsburgh, but Kirill Kaprizov returned from a monthlong lower-body injury.

Although this was only Nyquist's first game with the Wild, he's been around the group, on the ice at practice and away from the rink, too.

Kaprizov was reunited with longtime linemates Ryan Hartman and Mats Zuccarello after 13 games apart while Kaprizov healed up.

During that time, Zuccarello scored twice, once in each of the first two games without Kaprizov, but not after that — the longest goal drought for the veteran winger this season.

"Sometimes you go through stretches with lower confidence and even when you're 35 years old, you can still have those stretches," Zuccarello said. "Fortunately for us, we won games and I was in that stretch, so it doesn't really matter. As long as you win games here, you're happy.

"But obviously when you lose, you hope you can do more. Everyone goes through stuff like that during a season."

Mason Shaw will undergo surgery on his right knee next week after tearing his ACL on April 1 at Vegas.

Shaw was injured in the first period of a 4-1 loss to the Golden Knights.

He tried to change direction, caught a rut and felt like everything in his knee had exploded.

"I knew right as soon as it happened that it wasn't gonna be good," he said. "So, here we go again."

This is the fourth ACL tear in Shaw's career; he overcame three previous tears before making the Wild's lineup this season after being drafted in the fourth round in 2017.

"It's the hand I've been dealt," Shaw said. "So, it's time to play those cards."

Shaw's contract is up after the season, but the team plans to figure something out with Shaw.

"I have no doubt in my mind I'll be back," Shaw said. "It's gonna be a challenge, and I'm going to have to be patient and stick with this process. But I know what it takes, and I know I'll be back."