Minnesota Wild vs Utah Hockey Club Picks and Predictions January 23rd 2025

Wild Excited to Welcome Back Key Players

The Minnesota Wild are set to receive a significant boost to their lineup as star forward Kirill Kaprizov and captain Jared Spurgeon are expected to return to action after missing time due to injuries.

“It’s exciting,” said forward Joel Eriksson Ek. “Two very important players for us. It’s fun to have them back out there.”

Kaprizov, the team’s leading scorer, and Spurgeon, a crucial leader on and off the ice, are both expected to play against the Utah Hockey Club on Thursday night.

High-Energy Practice Precedes Utah Matchup

Coach John Hynes expressed enthusiasm about the duo’s return, noting the positive impact it had on Wednesday’s practice.

“It certainly helps when you have guys coming back and being part of the practice,” Hynes said. “Not only is the team excited, but I also think the players that are coming back from injury, they’re glad to be around the guys and the team and be at practice. Each side fuels each other.”

Utah Enters on a Winning Streak

Utah enters the game riding a two-game winning streak, having defeated the St. Louis Blues and Winnipeg Jets at home.

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Forward Clayton Keller has been a key contributor, reaching the 50-point mark in his recent game and maintaining a point-per-game pace in his last four outings.

“The last three games, even though we didn’t win against the (New York) Rangers (three games ago), that was a step in the right direction,” Keller said. “If you keep doing the right things, you’re going to win. So it’s good to see us get a couple (of wins) before we go on the road.”

Goaltending Matchups

For Minnesota, either Filip Gustavsson or Marc-Andre Fleury will be in net.

Utah will likely turn to either Karel Vejmelka or Connor Ingram.

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Team Focus: Continued Teamwork

Coach Hynes emphasized the importance of maintaining team unity even with the return of key players.

“It’s important that if those two guys come back, they come in and they play their roles and play to their identities,” Hynes said. “But everybody else has to continue to do what they’re doing. When players come back of the magnitude of those two guys and everybody else continues to play at the level that they’ve played at, now your team can get stronger. That’s something that I would like to see.”

This will be the third meeting between the teams this season, with Minnesota winning the first and Utah taking the second.