The scoring punch the Minnesota Wild have been sorely lacking made a timely and triumphant appearance following the long-awaited return of vital forwards Joel Eriksson Ek and Kirill Kaprizov from their long-term injuries.

Kirill Kaprizov scored 1:01 into overtime, Joel Eriksson Ek netted four goals and the Minnesota Wild escaped with an 8-7 win over the San Jose Sharks on Wednesday night in Saint Paul, Minn. Both players celebrated remarkable returns from prolonged lower-body-injury absences for Minnesota (43-29-7,

Minnesota Wild senior adviser Ray Shero, who won a Stanley Cup as a general manager, has died at the age of 62.

Shero was a senior adviser and mentor to Wild general manager Bill Guerin. The son of Hall of Fame coach Fred Shero, Ray had worked in the league since the mid-90s.