Matt Boldy ended up giving the Wild the lead which was followed by a Marcus Johansson empty net goal with under a minute left. The Wild walked away with a 6-4 win over the Blues in a game where Middleton made a strong impact in his first game back.

Hynes also had praise for defenseman Zeev Buium, the Wild's top prospect, and his performance at the World Juniors.

The Minnesota Wild have activated Jake Middleton off long-term injured reserve less than a month after having surgery on a broken finger.