Joel Eriksson Ek added a power play marker in the second period as Minnesota got 18 saves from Filip Gustavsson, winning for the sixth time in their last eight games on the road. Marcus Foligno

Being in a U.S. market where hockey is the number one sport in the state, today is another example of why it’s great to be here,” Wild coach John Hynes said.

It wasn't an overly convincing win, but the Wild got the job done against one of the worst teams in the NHL on Sunday evening. They started hot, then held on and were able to avoid blowing a 3-0 lead in a 4-2 road victory over the Chicago Blackhawks.

After allowing just five shots in the first two periods, the Wild had to scramble to keep the lead against Chicago in a narrow 4-2 win.

ST PAUL, Minn. — Minnesota Wild coach John Hynes is "cautiously optimistic" that star forward Kirill Kaprizov and defenseman Jared Spurgeon will be in the lineup on Thursday.

Jared Spurgeon, Frederick Gaudreau and Joel Eriksson Ek scored to give the visiting Minnesota Wild a three-goal edge, and they held on to beat the Chicago Blackhawks 4-2 on Sunday.

Despite Thursday’s tough outcome, Wild players were thrilled to have their captain and star forward back in the lineup.

On their seventh try, they finally eluded Blackhawks goalie Petr Mrazek 5 minutes, 43 seconds into the first period when Spurgeon sent the puck past Mrazek’s blocker after a 4-on-2 rush for the Wild. Marco Rossi factored into the play to pick up an assist on the Wild’s past four goals, tying a team record for the second time this season.

It is safe to say the Wild are excited to get Spurgeon back into the lineup and start to get healthy again. Faber has been back in the lineup the last couple of games and Kaprizov

Minnesota Wild defenseman Jared Spurgeon (lower body) will re-enter the lineup on Thursday against the Utah Hockey Club. He has been out for nine games due to a lower-body injury. The Wild captain will work with Declan Chisholm on the second defensive pairing.

The Wild are bringing Kirill Kaprizov and Jared Spurgeon back from injuries as the NHL season reaches the home stretch.