Minnesota Wild head coach Dean Evason announced Friday that forward Kirill Kaprizov will not play in Saturday’s game against the Washington Capitals after suffering an injury off a “predatory hit” against the Boston Bruins on Thursday.
The full statement courtesy of NHL.com’s Jessi Pierce:
In the second period against the Bruins, Kaprizov was fighting to control a loose puck near the boards. He briefly became tangled up with a Matt Grzelcyk, and didn’t have full control of the puck, when Trent Frederic followed through on a hit, sending Kaprizov into the boards.
Kaprizov was slow to get up and immediately left the ice, in visible distress. The 24-year-old did not return for the third period, being ruled out with what the team called an upper-body injury.
After expressing frustration over what he called a “predatory hit” on Thursday, Evason reiterated his thoughts Friday.
“Thought it was an unnecessary hit on a vulnerable player,” said Evason. “I hope the league looks after it. They have before, they’ve looked after plays that weren’t hockey plays — we don’t believe that was a hockey play.”
Evason hopes the NHL will review the play and handle it like they have in the past.
“We see them all the time, we all see the videos that the league puts out and they always talk about it being a hockey play, and that is not a hockey play,” said Evason. “That’s what our concern is and obviously was last night. The league’s done a great job at looking after those things in the past and we hope that it’s looked after this time.”
Evason also commented on the injury itself and the potential timeframe for Kaprizov’s return.
“Upper-body,” said Evason. “Definitely out tomorrow and we hope for the best-case scenario or the best positivity that we play tomorrow, and then we’ve got some time off to not only heal him up but other people as well.”
The loss of Kaprizov for any period would be a devastating blow to the Wild as they chase the St. Louis Blues and Nashville Predators for the top spot in the Central Division.
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