'That Doesn't Change Our Attitude': How the Maple Leafs Will Tackle The Wild Without Kirill Kaprizov in the Lineup

The Wild announced their best player will be sidelined at least four weeks following shoulder surgery.

The Toronto Maple Leafs may be catching a bit of a break when it was announced on Wednesday that Minnesota Wild superstar Kirill Kaprizov will be out at least four weeks after suffering a lower-body injury. The news came just one day before the Wild were set to visit the Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena on Wednesday. 

But despite the star's absence, Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube doesn't expect his team to take their foot off the gas.

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"They played without him this year and won a bunch of games He's a great player. We all know that. But they've got a good team," Berube said. "They play a good team-structured game. So it's not going to be an easy game for sure. And whether he's in or out, that doesn't change our attitude."

Kaprizov was having a Hart Trophy-caliber season and seemingly an early-season contender for the NHL MVP award. On Dec. 23, he was tied for second in the league in goals (23) and tied for fourth in points (50). Following that, he was out of the lineup for a month.  At the time, Wild head coach John Hynes downplayed the concern, saying Kaprizov was "banged up" and "a little sore" heading into the holidays. Kaprizov told reporters it was something that "Just something happened. I just don't want to talk about this a lot. It's now good."

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The Wild have a 7-5-1 record without Kaprizov in the lineup this season. While they have managed to stay competitive without their star player, his absence has been noticeable, particularly on offense.

"He’s an amazing player. He’s one of those guys that can take over games and sort of control the game with his pace and his skill and how physical he plays," Maple Leafs defenseman Chris Tanev said of Kaprizov."He’s a strong guy, a great skater."

The Leafs have had their own trouble scoring as of late. Toronto has scored just twice in their last two games. With Kaprizov out, the job may be a bit simpler in terms of keeping the pucks out of their net on Wednesday, but th need to ignite their offense, too.

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