The Wild is back in action after a five-day break with a few additions to the lineup.
Kirill Kaprizov will play against the Ducks at Xcel Energy Center on Friday after suffering an upper-body injury last week, while Brandon Duhaime and Jordan Greenway have returned from the COVID protocols.
Kaprizov, who was named to the NHL All-Star Game on Thursday along with goalie Cam Talbot, ended up missing only one game after getting hurt Jan. 6 in Boston when he was boarded by the Bruins' Trent Frederic.
"No one likes to see that kind of play, especially one of your better players going down like that and you don't know how serious it is right away," coach Dean Evason said. "Obviously, Kirill is who he is. He brings a different element to our team with the skill and ability to score and his work ethic and his battle. We are happy to have him."
Although the Wild is set to get three regulars back vs. Anaheim, the team is still missing a handful of key players.
Talbot, captain Jared Spurgeon, winger Nick Bjugstad and defenseman Jonas Brodin are injured, and center Joel Eriksson Ek and defenseman Alex Goligoski are in the COVID protocols. Eriksson Ek was poised to return Friday from an upper-body injury that's kept him out the past three-plus weeks, but he tested positive on Thursday.
With Eriksson Ek out, the Wild will slot Victor Rask on a line with Greenway and winger Marcus Foligno.
"Our group's sense of urgency should be there regardless if we play every second day or we play once a week," Evason said of the Wild, which has won two in a row. "You have to have that sense of urgency, and our group's done a good job of that prior obviously with those two games. But we have to continue to do that."