After two separate injuries during last night’s game, the Minnesota Wild have recalled two players from the Iowa Wild, their AHL affiliate team. Goalie Zane McIntyre and forward Nic Petan have made the trip to St. Paul for today’s afternoon game against the Winnipeg Jets. The Wild’s top goalie prospect, Jepser Wallstedt, is currently out with a lower-body injury and unable to make his NHL debut.
McIntyre has previously played eight games in the NHL with the Boston Bruins and backed-up several games with the Bruins, the Wild, and the Vancouver Canucks throughout five seasons. This season, he has played 12 games with Iowa and is currently 1-8-2.
Petan is an alternate captain for the Iowa Wild and has played 26 games with them so far this season. He has 28 points (10 goals and 18 assists). Petan has played one game with Minnesota this season while being a healthy scratch for a few more. Last season, he played ten games with Minnesota and came away with three points (one goal and two assists).
During the first game of a home-and-home series against the Jets, the Wild sustained injuries to two important players. Goalie Filip Gustavsson started the game in net but was replaced by Marc-Andre Fleury for the third period. It was announced that he had a lower-body injury, which started to bother him during the second period.
Kirill Kaprizov was hurt after taking two cross-checks to the lower back from Brenden Dillon that went uncalled. Kaprizov was also injured during a game last season in Winnipeg, which led to a long recovery period for the Russian superstar. His injury already caused fireworks with Jake Middleton stepping up to challenge Dillon last night, landing a few good rights before taking his seat in the box. With Kaprizov now injured enough to sit out at least one game, it’s expected that today’s game will be even more physical and combative.
Both Gustavsson and Kaprizov will not be playing today while they wait to be evaluated by the Wild’s doctors. McIntyre will back up Fleury today in St. Paul for what will be Fleury’s 1000th NHL game. Fleury becomes only the 4th goaltender to reach that milestone.
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