Ben Jones will exit the lineup on Friday, allowing Khusnutdinov to return from a lower-body injury. Khusnutdinov was the 37th overall pick of the Minnesota Wild in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. The 21-year-old has been adjusting to his first full NHL season, averaging 11:26 time-on-ice, scoring two points (0G / 2A).

On the front end of a back-to-back, Minnesota will turn to Fleury between the pipes on Friday against the Chicago Blackhawks. Fleury has only played once in the last three weeks but has been serviceable in limited action this season, posting a 2.76 GAA and .904 SV% in five games (4-0-1). Minnesota enters Friday's contest as sizeable -258 home favorites against a Chicago club coming off an impressive 6-2 win over the Dallas Stars.

Lauko will take a seat on Wednesday when the Wild travel to Buffalo to take on the Sabres. Travis Boyd will draw into the lineup in his place.

Boyd will fill in for Jakub Lauko, who is listed as a healthy scratch. Boyd went pointless in less than nine minutes of ice time in his Wild debut on Saturday.

Merrill will fill in for Jonas Brodin, who was a late scratch due to an upper-body injury. Merrill has zero goals and one assist in 14 games this season.

Brodin was a surprise scratch on Wednesday, with his absence not being announced prior to warmups. We should get an update on his status ahead of the Wild's game against Chicago on Friday.

Lauko only played 6:08 time-on-ice in Minnesota's 4-1 loss to the Jets on Monday before exiting the contest with a lower-body injury. The 24-year-old Lauko is averaging 10:16 time-on-ice and has four points (2G / 2A) in 21 games this season.

Minnesota has lost two straight, both with Gustavsson between the pipes, but will roll with him again on Wednesday against the Buffalo Sabres. Despite losing three of his last four outings (1-2-1), Gustavsson has been tremendous in Minnesota's crease this season, posting a stellar 2.18 GAA and .923 SV% in 16 games (9-4-3). Minnesota enters Wednesday's contest as -129 road favorites against Buffalo club that will welcome Tage Thompson back into their lineup.

According to Michael Russo of The Athletic, Kaprizov had an MRI on Sunday, and Wild team doctors determined he did not have a serious injury. He'll return to the Wild lineup after missing just one game. Before his injury, the 27-year-old Kaprizov was riding a seven-game point streak, scoring 13 points (6G / 7A).

Khusnutdinov was the 37th overall pick of the Minnesota Wild in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. The 21-year-old has been adjusting to his first full NHL season, averaging 11:26 time-on-ice, scoring two points (0G / 2A).

Khusnutdinov was the 37th overall pick of the Minnesota Wild in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. The 21-year-old has been adjusting to his first full NHL season, averaging 11:26 time-on-ice, scoring two points (0G / 2A).

Gustavsson was on the losing end of a 4-3 shootout loss to the Calgary Flames in Minnesota's last outing but will look to rebound on Monday against the Winnipeg Jets. The 26-year-old Gustavsson has been among the NHL's best netminders this season, boasting a 2.13 GAA and .924 SV% through 15 games (9-3-3). Minnesota enters Monday's contest as slight -103 home underdogs against a Winnipeg club coming off a 4-1 loss to the Nashville Predators.

According to Michael Russo of The Athletic, Kaprizov had an MRI on Sunday, and Wild team doctors determined he did not have a serious injury. Before his injury, the 27-year-old Kaprizov was riding a seven-game point streak, scoring 13 points (6G / 7A).

According to Michael Russo of The Athletic, Kaprizov had an MRI on Sunday, and Wild team doctors determined he did not have a serious injury. At this point, it's unclear how long Kaprizov will be sidelined, but the Wild will take it day by day. He should be considered doubtful to play Monday vs. the Jets.