DENVER – Originally drafted by the Predators in 2015, Yakov Trenin spent the first 280-plus games of his career playing in Nashville. In his first game back at Bridgestone Arena as a member of the Minnesota Wild, Trenin went from fan favorite to hated villain, then to fan favorite again in the span of about 20 minutes. Less that two minutes after country music superstar Keith Urban ignited the crowd with his rendition of the Star Spangled Banner, Trenin took the initiative to dole out some on-ice justice. Trenin dropped the gloves for a relatively one-sided scrap with Preds forward Zach L’Heureux in a retaliatory move. A few weeks prior, the Nashville rookie delivered a dangerous hit on Wild captain Jared Spurgeon on New Years’ Eve in St. Paul. Veteran Wild forward Marcus Foligno, who threw hands literally two seconds of game time after Trenin had gone to the penalty box, said the initial fight and the willingness to stick up for Spurgeon showed cohesiveness on the Minnesota roster. “We are a close group, and we need to show some character. We don’t want anyone messing with our players,” he said. “It brings the group closer together. Its what you need down the road. Yak did a great job.” With Trenin spending one-fourth of the opening period in solitary confinement, the Predators game operations folks waited until a second period media timeout to play a video showing highlights of Trenin’s time in blue and gold, and welcoming him back to Middle Tennessee. “I didn’t think about that,” Trenin said, noting that the folks at Bridgestone waited until the third period to honor former Predator Ryan McDonagh when he returned with the Tampa Bay Lightning earlier this season. “I still got it.” While many fans stood and cheered their former hero, the video did not draw the biggest ovation of the night. We will call that a tie between the second period interview with rising country star Jelly Roll, and the shot of Urban with his famous wife, Academy Award-winning actress Nicole Kidman, taking in the game from an arena suite. Ferguson sent down The illness that ailed Wild goalie Filip Gustavsson in Nashville has apparently run its course. On Sunday, Minnesota sent Dylan Ferguson back down to their Iowa AHL team after he spent Saturday night in a Wild sweater, ready to back up Marc-Andre Fleury if needed. Gustavsson, whose four-game absence due to a lower body injury in December coincided with the team’s four-game losing streak — their longest of the season thus far. The Wild had an off day in Denver on Sunday, meaning the Monday afternoon starter versus Colorado will not be revealed until closer to game time. Related Articles Minnesota Wild | Another early lead fades in Nashville as Wild lose third in a row Minnesota Wild | Tennessee-Minnesota connections abound when Wild and Predators meet Minnesota Wild | Wild like the way things are trending as Faber, Lauko return for Nashville trip Minnesota Wild | Wild star Kirill Kaprizov eligible to return to lineup as soon as Saturday Minnesota Wild | Pretty, gritty and nasty all on display as Oilers outlast Wild