<p><a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/teams/minnesota-wild/line-combinations">Minnesota Wild</a> head coach John Hynes put a clear timeline on the return to game action for injured forward Vinnie Hinostroza.</p>



<p>After the team previously described <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/news/goaltending-backbone-colorado-avalanche-hot-start-mackenzie-blackwood-scott-wedgewood-nhl">Hinostroza’s status as week-to-week</a>, Hynes told a group of reporters including <a href="https://x.com/RussoHockey/status/1993379662329004182?s=20">Michael Russo of The Athletic </a>that Hinostroza would be out four to six weeks with his lower-body injury. </p>



<p>The injury occurred as a result of a hit from Ryan Graves of the <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/teams/pittsburgh-penguins/line-combinations">Pittsburgh Penguins</a> on Friday night in a game that Minnesota won in a 5-0 romp. The veteran recorded two shots on goal before leaving the game after 8:08 of ice time. </p>



<p>So far this season, Hinostroza has<a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/players/stats/skaters?year=2026&amp;season=regular"> 5 points in 22 games</a> while skating to a minus-5 rating in an average of 11:21 of time on ice per game. The 31-year-old forward from Chicago is in his second season as a member of the Wild, and has made stops in Nashville, Buffalo, Pittsburgh, Florida and Arizona throughout his career after being drafted by and debuting with the <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/teams/chicago-blackhawks/line-combinations">Chicago Blackhawks</a>.</p><div class="injected-ad injected-video" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="0" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="170"></div>



<p>In his 11 NHL seasons, Hinostroza has compiled 166 points in 433 career regular season games in the form of 61 goals and 105 assists. A sixth-round pick in the 2012 NHL Draft, Hinostroza had the best season of his career in the 2018-19 campaign when he racked up 39 points in 72 games during his time with the Coyotes. </p>



<p>The Wild are in the midst of a five-game winning streak that has completely erased a dreadful start to the season and put them exactly where fans could have reasonably hoped they’d be, <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/teams/chicago-blackhawks/line-combinations">third place in the Central Division</a> with a record of 12-7-4.</p>



<p>Minnesota has a pair of key divisional matchups next up on its schedule, as the Wild visit Chicago on Wednesday night before hosting first-place Colorado on Black Friday.</p><div class="injected-ad" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="1" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="133"></div>
