Minnesota Wild forward Kirill Kaprizov scored his NHL-leading 10th goal to break a second-period tie, leading his team to a 2-1 win against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Sunday night. The victory lifts the Central Division-leading Wild to a 6-2-1 record.
Early Goaltending Duel and Power-Play Sequences in St. Paul
Both netminders established control early. Just two minutes into the opening frame, Minnesota goaltender Jesper Wallstedt denied Connor Garland on a breakaway attempt. Shortly after, the Blue Jackets successfully killed off a 5-on-3 Minnesota power play that lasted 1:52, with goaltender Cam Talbot turning away three shots during the sequence.
The scoreless deadlock broke late in the first period when Yakov Trenin intercepted a turnover at the Columbus blue line. Trenin drove past a defender and delivered a cross-slot pass to teammate Danila Yurov, who tapped the puck into the net to give the Wild a 1-0 advantage.
Columbus responded a minute later during a delayed penalty. Adam Fantilli fired a slap shot through heavy traffic that beat Wallstedt to tie the game 1-1.
Second-Period Power-Play Winner
Kaprizov decided the contest at 3:06 of the second period. Operating with a man advantage, Kaprizov collected the puck at the bottom of the left faceoff circle and snapped a shot over Talbot’s shoulder to notch his 10th goal.
Kirill Kaprizov nets 10th goal in 9 games, pacing Wild past Blue Jackets #NHL #CBJ #BlueJacketsNHL #mnwild #Wild https://t.co/uTqullT99o
— https://x.com/FieldLevelMedia/status/2111984685765067164
Wallstedt protected the narrow lead through the remainder of the game, finishing with 13 saves. At the other end of the ice, Talbot turned aside 32 shots for Columbus.
Upcoming Road Trip and Schedule
Following Sunday’s victory, the Minnesota Wild travel to face Edmonton on Tuesday night, marking the start of a five-game road trip. Meanwhile, the Columbus Blue Jackets host Toronto on Tuesday night.
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