Wild's Kirill Kaprizov to miss 3-4 weeks with lower-body injury

Minnesota Wild star forward Kirill Kaprizov is expected to miss three to four weeks with a lower-body injury, the team announced Thursday.

Kaprizov left Wednesday's game against the Winnipeg Jets midway through the third period after defenseman Logan Stanley fell on top of him, with the forward going down awkwardly. Stanley — all 6-foot-7 and 228 pounds of him — essentially squashed the much smaller Kaprizov, who struggled to get back to his feet and off the ice.

No penalty was given on the play. The Wild hung on for a 4-2 win, with Kaprizov notching an assist on Ryan Hartman's game-winning goal in the second frame.

When asked about the play in his postgame media availability, Wild head coach Dean Evason kept his opinion of the sequence to himself.

"I don't have any thoughts on it," Evason said through an obvious smirk.

The 25-year-old leads Minnesota in scoring, tallying 39 goals and 35 assists in 65 games. He is coming off a career-high 47-goal, 108-point season in only his second year in the NHL. Kaprizov was awarded the Calder Trophy in 2021 as the NHL's rookie of the year after putting up 51 points in 55 games.

The Wild will surely miss their superstar for the stretch run of the season, currently tied for top spot in the Central Division with the Jets while owning a 37-21-7 record and 81 points. The Colorado Avalanche are only five points back of second place in the division, with three games in hand.