Just days after kids around Minnesota were opening Halloween candy, the Minnesota Wild got an early holiday present on a Friday in the New York City suburbs.

After a few weeks of progressively more involved on-ice work as he recovered from a lower body injury that required off-season surgery, veteran Wild forward Mats Zuccarello was activated from injured reserve and available for a return to the Wild lineup on Friday night when the visited the New York Islanders.

The Wild played the first 15 games this season without Zuccarello, 38, and his presence has been missed on and off the ice.

“He’s a competitive guy. He plays the right way,” said Wild coach John Hynes last week in anticipation of Zuccarello’s eventual return. “Like when you see him, he’s tracking, and I think he plays both sid

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