Wild wing Ryan Hartman’s suspension for roughing Ottawa’s Tim Stützle was decreased from 10 games to eight after he appealed to NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman.

When the injury bug bites, sometimes it can really sink its teeth in - and it's currently gnawing away at the Minnesota Wild. On the heels of Bill Guerin saying star Kirill Kaprizov will be out longer than initially expected,

The slumping Minnesota Wild are clearly frustrated, while their fans desperately seek moments to generate enthusiasm.

Kirill Kaprizov’s recovery from surgery is taking longer than expected, but the Wild have to wait only a week to get Ryan Hartman back in action. Hartman had his suspension for roughing Ottawa’s Tim Stützle reduced from 10 games to eight after the forward appealed to NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman,

If it seems like you haven’t seen Minnesota Wild winger Ryan Hartman for a while, that’s because you haven’t. He hasn’t been on the ice since February 1. Although the 4 Nations Face-Off put the NHL regular season on a brief break,

Hartman and Hinostroza have been friends since they were 8 years old: "We both went our own ways for a while, and now we’re back together."

Hartman's fifth suspension of his career — which was reduced from 10 games to eight — has really affected the veteran forward.

Ryan Hartman was well aware of Gary Bettman’s track record and how rare it is for the NHL commissioner to shorten suspensions. But that’s exactly what Bettman did Monday, trimming Hartman’s 10-game suspension for roughing Ottawa’s Tim Stützle to eight games to make the forward eligible to return next Tuesday at Seattle.