Jonas Brodin returns to Wild lineup; ex-Gopher Sammy Walker called up from Iowa

EDMONTON, Alberta — The Wild had one of their best defensemen back on the ice for Round 2 vs. Connor McDavid and the Oilers.

Jonas Brodin returned on Friday after missing six of the past seven games, including the last four with a lower-body injury.

Before that, Brodin was out for two games because of illness.

"To get somebody like him back is obviously a very positive thing for our group," Wild coach Dean Evason said.

While Brodin was on the mend, the Wild kicked off a three-game series in 12 days vs. the Oilers.

They won the first matchup 5-3 on Dec. 1 at Xcel Energy Center and limited McDavid to only a goal and assist, a ho-hum showing by the standards of the NHL's leading scorer.

In Edmonton, the Oilers had the last line change, which gave them the control to dictate the matchup against McDavid and linemate Leon Draisaitl in certain situations.

"You gotta know when he's on the ice," Brodin said, "and you gotta be ready when he gets the puck."

With Brodin back, the Wild scratched Calen Addison for the first time this season.

Addison has been an effective addition to the power play, his 14 points the most among rookie defensemen, but the Wild are also looking at his defensive play.

"We need Addy to defend better," Evason said. "He's obviously a gifted offensive player that has helped our power play be better. But he needs to obviously be also a well-rounded hockey player that needs to defend. He needs a bit of a wake-up call.

"We had a great meeting with him [Friday.] He understands what's going on, and the communication is there."

Sammy Walker could be on the verge of his NHL debut.

The Wild recalled the Edina native on Friday from the American Hockey League, and Walker will join the team in Vancouver, where the Wild wrap up a four-game road trip on Saturday.

Walker, 23, leads the AHL in rookie scoring with 22 points, which also paces Iowa. His 11 goals are also first on the team, while the forward's 11 assists rank second.

The former Gophers captain signed a two-year, entry-level contract with the Wild in August. Walker will wear No. 74 with the Wild, who reassigned Joseph Cramarossa to Iowa.

Kirill Kaprizov's stick snapped when he set a Wild record for longest point streak (13 games) and goal streak (seven) on Wednesday at Calgary.

Kaprizov scored after tipping in a Matt Dumba shot, the contact breaking his stick.

But that wasn't the stick he'd been using throughout his point streak or even his goal streak. Kaprizov uses a new stick every game, he said.

(Four or five games is the typical life cycle for a stick; Marcus Foligno, for example, adopts a new stick every five to six games.)

As for what happens to Kaprizov's game-used sticks, he keeps them for practice.

After scoring in front of friends and his dad, Aaron, on Wednesday in Calgary, Mason Shaw was expecting a couple hundred in the crowd Friday at Rogers Place.

Shaw is from Wainwright, Alberta, about two hours from Edmonton. Aside from friends and extended family members, his dad, mom Lindsay and sister Austin were planning to be at the game.

"I hope everyone coming can enjoy the moment like I am," said Shaw, who has been with the Wild ever since a call-up from the minors in the second week of the season. "A lot of people help you out to get to this point and a lot of friends. So it'll be cool that everyone can experience it."

Injury update

Evason said the Wild hope Brandon Duhaime and Ryan Hartman will start practicing with the team when they return to Minnesota after this trip.

Both forwards are out with upper-body injuries; Duhaime last played Nov. 23, while Hartman has been sidelined since Oct. 30.