Wild's John Hynes gives hopeful updates on Kirill Kaprizov, Joel Eriksson Ek

The Minnesota Wild are down to four games left in the regular season and it is only a matter of time before Kirill Kaprizov and Joel Eriksson Ek are back on the ice with their teammates for the first time in many weeks.  

The next step toward their respective return from injury came Tuesday when they participated in five-on-five contact drills during the team's morning skate. It's still not decided if either one will be back for Wednesday's game against San Jose, but they are getting very close. 

"I don't know," head coach John Hynes said when asked if they could play Wednesday. "I'll talk with the trainers after today and see what the next step would be with them."

Hynes said it "truly will come down" to how they respond physically and mentally to live contact, but he had no reason to be concerned after watching them Tuesday. 

"I thought they looked good. It didn't look like there was any hesitation there. I thought both guys were skating, they were doing things at top speed," Hynes said. 

Hynes was specifically watching how Kaprizov and Eriksson Ek handled explosive movements, like acceleration, starting from a standstill, and getting up off the ice. 

"I thought that they looked good in those areas but there's another component to it as well," Hynes explained. 

The sooner the Wild get their stars back, the better. Minnesota has 91 points with four games remaining. That's good for the second wild-card spot in the West. The Blues own the first wild card with 93 points, but they've played one more game than the Wild. 

Lurking are the Calgary Flames, who have five games to go and are four points behind Minnesota for the final playoff spot. All three are in action Wednesday. 

• Wild vs. Sharks, 7 p.m. CT
• Blues at Oilers, 9 p.m. CT
• Flames at Ducks, 9 p.m. CT

Kaprizov has played in three games since Dec. 24 and hasn't played at all since Jan. 26. He's been on long-term injured with a lower-body injury that required surgery. Eriksson Ek has been on long-term injured reserve with a lower-body injury and hasn't played since Feb. 22.

Meanwhile, defenseman Jake Middleton (upper body) won't play Wednesday and is considered day-to-day.