TORONTO — Mats Zuccarello was back in action against the Maple Leafs, but the Wild's injury list didn't get any shorter.
Mats Zuccarello returns to Wild lineup after Kirill Kaprizov is blanked in Ottawa
Jordan Greenway suffered an upper body injury against the Senators and sat out Thursday in Toronto.
February 25, 2022 at 4:23AM
As Zuccarello returned from an upper-body ailment, suiting up after not playing Tuesday at Ottawa, Jordan Greenway exited the lineup also because of an upper-body issue.
"Maybe a little more serious than we thought obviously," coach Dean Evason said of Greenway's injury. "But clearly not playing [Thursday] makes it more serious than we anticipated. We'll just see how he progresses."
This trip wraps up Saturday at Calgary, and Evason said Greenway will remain on the road with the team. The Wild is also missing defenseman Matt Dumba, who didn't travel to Canada because of a lower-body injury.
With Greenway sidelined, Nick Bjugstad filled the vacancy alongside Joel Eriksson Ek and Marcus Foligno — a promotion Evason said Bjugstad deserved after assisting on three goals in his first two games back from a broken finger.
Zuccarello slotted into his usual spot on the Wild's top line next to Kirill Kaprizov and Ryan Hartman.
Their line with Foligno in Zuccarello's absence didn't score in the 4-3 loss to the Senators, although Hartman and Kaprizov were on the ice for captain Jared Spurgeon's second-period goal that Hartman assisted on with his pass to Spurgeon.
Not factoring into the offense ended a five-game point streak for Kaprizov, and that was only the second game the winger has played since Dec. 16 in which he didn't pick up at least a point.
"Obviously not having Zuccy's skill set, literally his hands out there, you gotta find different ways," Evason said. "Obviously, they have a chemistry. But you're not going to play with somebody all the time. We thought that [Kaprizov] adjusted a little bit but probably can adjust a little more that if [Zuccarello's] not in there, maybe simplify a little more.
"Zuccy can make some passes that other people can't make, and he has vision that other people don't have. Sometimes when things are different, then you've got to simplify a little more and I think [Kaprizov] can probably do a little more of it."
The Wild recalled Mason Shaw from Iowa in the American Hockey League on Wednesday in the event Greenway and Zuccarello were unavailable but with Zuccarello playing. Shaw sat as a healthy scratch.
Record setter
Before facing Toronto, the Wild showed a clip of Jon Merrill's goal against Ottawa, emphasizing the dump-in and forecheck pressure that preceded the defenseman's slick shot that sailed top-shelf on Senators goalie Anton Forsberg.
"It started with a simple and gritty play, and it ended with a real nice execution," Evason said.
The goal was Merrill's fourth of the season, which set a career high for the 30-year-old, and the point was his 15th, matching the personal best he set in 2018-19 with Vegas.
"Bounces have been going my way for sure this year," said Merrill, who signed a three-year, $3.6 million contract extension in January. "It's definitely something I'm excited about, and every opportunity I have to help the team win is something I'm really happy about."
Time change
Puck drop vs. the Predators on March 13 at Xcel Energy Center has been moved back an hour, to 6 p.m.
The Wild is retiring former captain Mikko Koivu's No. 9 jersey that night.
The Wild prevailed 5-4 on Tuesday night, moving back into first place in the NHL with a hard-fought victory in their first trip to Utah. Matt Boldy scored the winner in the shootout.
