Wild winger Kirill Kaprizov was struck in the mouth by an errant puck and missed much of the second period of Tuesday night’s game against the Los Angeles Kings before returning for the third.

And when the Wild were defending an extra attacker with the Lightning’s net empty, Hynes was comfortable putting Kaprizov on the ice. Some stars in the league who can’t be relied upon don’t get that treatment, yet Kaprizov has now scored three empty net goals out of his seven.

Kirill Kaprizov scored twice in the third period, including the go-ahead goal, as the Wild beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 5-3 Friday at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn.

Kirill Kaprizov will be in action Tuesday when his Minnesota Wild face the Los Angeles Kings at Xcel Energy Center. Does a wager on Kaprizov intrigue you? Use our stats and information to make the final call.

Wild winger Kirill Kaprizov was struck in the mouth by an errant puck and left in the second period of Tuesday night's game against the Kings but returned in the third.

Wild winger Kirill Kaprizov was struck in the mouth by an errant puck and missed much of the second period of Tuesday night’s game against the Los Angeles Kings before returning for the third

Wild winger Kirill Kaprizov was struck in the mouth by an errant puck and left in the second period of Tuesday night's game against the Los Angeles Kings. Kaprizov, who is tied for the league lead with 21 points,

The 27-year-old Kaprizov went down the tunnel after taking a puck off the face in the second period. The play happened after an offensive zone faceoff as members of the Kings and Wild battled for the puck before Los Angeles forward Alex Laferriere flipped the puck up and caught Kaprizov below the visor.