Marathon shift was only part of Jon Merrill's busy night for Wild

LAS VEGAS – Jon Merrill wasn't sure how much time he spent on the ice, but he knew it was more than usual.

"Longer than normal," he said. "Uncomfortably long."

The official duration was 3 minutes, 17 seconds.

But that wasn't his total workload for a period.

This was one shift.

"I kind of got back to the bench, and I guess I expected more of a fatigued state," the defenseman said. "But it was just sort of like once you get to a certain level, you just sort of like stop moving and start assessing stuff. You're not really moving at all."

Merrill's marathon stint started during a Wild penalty kill in the second period on Saturday at Los Angeles and ended more than a minute after play was back to 5-on-5.

During the penalty kill, Merrill was key in preventing the Kings from scoring, blocking three shots from Anze Kopitar.

"On the PK, you're not moving as much," Merrill said. "I think it's more just draining and eating a few pucks there. It was just kind of a little bit of pain. But we've got a group that sticks together, and we battle through all that stuff so it's fun."

After defenseman Alex Goligoski finished serving a slashing penalty and lifted the Wild back to full strength, the team still had trouble prying the puck away from Los Angeles — even with three defensemen on the ice.

Eventually, the Wild received a reprieve that enabled Merrill to go for a change; he was the last from the original penalty-killing group to make it to the bench.

That shift, however, wasn't the only contribution Merrill made for the Wild.

He also blocked a career-high eight shots, which is tied for the second most in Wild history. Captain Jared Spurgeon has the record with nine (Oct. 11, 2014, at Colorado).

"I pride myself on being a guy that can do anything that they ask of me," said Merrill, who's in his first season with the Wild after signing a one-year contract in July. "Just being a utility guy. Whatever they need from me. I'm just happy to be out there and be playing. But definitely defense is something that I look to do the best I can."

Gaudreau returns

Frederick Gaudreau suited up against the Golden Knights after being in COVID-19 protocols for six games.

The forward skated three times before returning to action, including Sunday morning, but Wild coach Dean Evason said the team would monitor Gaudreau since he wouldn't be in game shape.

"He's just a good sound hockey player that structurally plays the right way," Evason said. "So, it'll be nice to have him back in there."

To make room on the roster for Gaudreau, the Wild sent forward Mason Shaw back to Iowa in the American Hockey League.

Shaw played two games with the Wild, making his NHL debut on Thursday at San Jose after overcoming multiple ACL surgeries.

"He was real good for two hockey games," Evason said. "Somebody obviously that we knew could play. He's obviously battled back from his injuries, but he's somebody I know now that we feel very comfortable calling up."

Injury update

Defenseman Jonas Brodin sat out a second game in a row because of an upper-body injury.

"The MRI was good," Evason said, "but he still won't play."

All-Star voting

Las Vegas will host the 2022 NHL All-Star Game on Feb. 5, and voting has opened to determine the four captains for the weekend's festivities.

Fans can vote at nhl.com/vote and the NHL app, with voting concluding on Jan. 8. The top vote-getters from each division, regardless of position, will be named All-Stars and captains.