Wild shut out by Utah 4-0 despite return of Kirill Kaprizov, Jared Spurgeon

The Wild had their best player back for the first time in a month, but they didn’t play like it.

Kirill Kaprizov’s return was spoiled by a 4-0 shellacking from Utah Hockey Club on Thursday night at Xcel Energy Center that continued the Wild’s woes at home.

“Maybe thought it was gonna be easier,” alternate captain Marcus Foligno said. “We got bit.”

This was the third game in a row the Wild have dropped in St. Paul, where they are 11-11-1. Overall, they have won only once in their past five.

“We just didn’t have an answer today to be honest with you, and it’s real frustrating,” winger Mats Zuccarello said. “It’s not good enough. I don’t think anyone’s happy.”

Utah goalie Karel Vejmelka stopped 26 shots for his first shutout of the season, thwarting a Wild lineup that was as close to full strength as the team has been in more than two months.

Aside from Kaprizov, who was back after the winger missed 12 games because of a lower-body injury, captain Jared Spurgeon suited up for the first time since New Year’s Eve and skated in his 900th career game. The defenseman had been slew-footed into the boards by Nashville’s Zachary L’Heureux, injuring his ankle and knee. L’Heureux, who reached out to Spurgeon, was suspended three games.

The Wild were still without defenseman Jonas Brodin (lower body) and winger Marcus Johansson (concussion) but other than a cheer during Kaprizov’s first shift, the updated look was barely noticeable while the Wild were shut out for the second time. Kaprizov, who still leads the Wild in scoring with 50 points, had three shots during 16:39 of ice time.

“We weren’t emotionally engaged in the game, and we didn’t have the energy, the required competitiveness that you need to have, the execution, the speed,” coach John Hynes said. “We can go down the list of what it is. It wasn’t a good night.”

Only 1 minute, 46 seconds into the first period, Barrett Hayton tipped in a shot by Nick DeSimone after a ferocious forecheck by Utah worked the puck back to the point.

Utah scored again at 8:38, when former Wild defenseman Ian Cole buried a rebound off a 2-on-1, but the Wild challenged for goalie interference and the goal was overturned: Nick Schmaltz and Clayton Keller bumped Wild netminder Filip Gustavsson before Cole’s shot. The Wild improved to 6-for-6 in challenges.

But Utah still doubled its lead before the first period ended.

On its first of two power plays, Keller — sporting a gruesome black eye after taking a puck to the face last game — scooted from the slot to the left faceoff circle where he uncorked a top-shelf shot over Gustavsson’s right shoulder at 15:55. Seconds earlier, the Wild botched a shorthanded 2-on-1 rush between Jake Middleton and Joel Eriksson Ek.

“Didn’t show up in the first period, and hockey gods didn’t let us get back in this one,” Foligno said. “We were well deserving of a loss.”

Utah outshot the Wild 15-5 in the first and while the Wild turned the tables in the second, gaining a 12-3 edge, they bobbled pucks to stay out of sync.

Meanwhile, Utah connected on one of its few chances, with Lawson Crouse getting a piece of an Olli Maatta windup to lift the puck behind Gustavsson at 14:14.

The Wild went on the power play soon after but whiffed, going 0-for-3 on seven shots.

“We got outplayed in the first period and outsmarted kind of,” said Zuccarello, who had a season-high seven shots. “Then we come back and play a pretty good period in the second. Can’t really create anything, and they scored on their chances. Obviously, we give them too easy offense at times.”

BOXSCORE: Utah 4, Wild 0

In the third period, Utah put the finishing touches on its rout on Hayton’s second goal of the night.

After Gustavsson blocked the initial shot from DeSimone, Hayton whacked in the rebound at 1:48. Gustavsson finished with 25 saves in his first action in more than a week after illness sidelined him over the weekend. He is winless in his past five starts, a skid in which he has given up 23 goals.

“It’s been a little tough,” Gustavsson said. “It feels like I’ve been playing bad a few games, and then I had a few bad bounces and some good goals.

“It’s just tough because it feels like we practice hard and try to do the right thing, and then it just doesn’t translate right now to the game. It wasn’t good enough.”