The Minnesota Wild will have to do without their top scorer Friday night in Dallas. The team says Kirill Kaprizov did not make the trip due to a lower body injury. Coach John Hynes said his star is day-to-day and will monitor things moving forward.
Kaprizov is tied for second in the NHL with 23 goals and tied for fourth in points with 50. He leads the league this season with six multi-goal games and is tied with Florida’s Sam Reinhart with 56 goals scored during this calendar year.
This will be the second game this season that Kaprizov has missed. He didn’t play on Nov. 23 at Calgary after suffering a lower body injury two nights earlier at Edmonton. Since missing that game, Kaprizov has points in 12 of 15 games — 10 goals, including two game-winners, and six assists.
The Wild come out the NHL’s Christmas break trying to even their December record at 6-6-0 after going 16-4-4 during the previous two months. Their 27 road points (12-3-3) lead the league.
PREVIEW
Minnesota Wild (21-10-4, in the Central Division) vs. Dallas Stars (20-13, in the Central Division)
Dallas; Friday, 7 p.m.
BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Stars -166, Wild +140; over/under is 6
BOTTOM LINE: The Dallas Stars take on the Minnesota Wild in a matchup of Central Division teams.
Dallas has a 9-3-0 record in Central Division games and a 20-13 record overall. The Stars have a 10-6-0 record when they commit fewer penalties than their opponent.
Minnesota is 6-4-2 against the Central Division and 21-10-4 overall. The Wild have a 9-3-2 record in games they score at least one power-play goal.
The teams meet Friday for the second time this season. The Stars won 2-1 in the previous meeting. Mason Marchment led the Stars with two goals.
TOP PERFORMERS: Marchment has 12 goals and 15 assists for the Stars. Roope Hintz has five goals and one assist over the last 10 games.
Marco Rossi has 12 goals and 16 assists for the Wild. Kirill Kaprizov has seven goals and four assists over the past 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Stars: 5-5-0, averaging 2.5 goals, 4.3 assists, three penalties and 6.5 penalty minutes while giving up 2.2 goals per game.
Wild: 4-6-0, averaging 2.3 goals, 3.6 assists, 3.3 penalties and 8.6 penalty minutes while giving up 3.4 goals per game.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.