Kirill Kaprizov scored two goals and Jesper Wallstedt stopped 26 shots to lead the Minnesota Wild to a 4-1 victory over the Boston Bruins on Saturday night. The win improved Minnesota’s home-opener record to 18-4-4, maintaining a .769 points percentage in those games that ranks second-best in the NHL.
Kirill Kaprizov and Jesper Wallstedt Power Wild Past Bruins
The Minnesota Wild defeated the Boston Bruins 4-1 on Saturday night, backed by a multi-goal performance from Kirill Kaprizov and 26 saves from goaltender Jesper Wallstedt. Quinn Hughes contributed a goal and an assist, while Jared Spurgeon also scored for Minnesota.
Tanner Jeannot provided the lone goal for Boston, which was playing the second half of a back-to-back after winning 4-3 in overtime against Winnipeg on Friday. Michael DiPietro made 26 saves for the Bruins in his third career NHL start and his first since Jan. 23, 2022, when he played for Vancouver. DiPietro earned the American Hockey League MVP award for the 2025-26 season with Providence, leading that league with 34 wins, a 1.91 goals-against average, and a .930 save percentage.
Special Teams and Second-Period Surge Decide the Game
Kaprizov tied the game 1-1 with a power-play goal six minutes into the second period, converting a feed from Maxim Shabanov. Later in the frame, Minnesota capitalized on a five-on-three power play that lasted 1:52. Hughes scored with just one second remaining on the second infraction, lifting a wrist shot through Ryan Hartman’s screen to give the Wild a 2-1 lead.
Boston went scoreless on four power-play opportunities during the contest. Minnesota has successfully killed off all eight short-handed situations through the first two games of the season, following a preseason where they allowed no power-play goals.
Spurgeon extended the lead early in the third period when his shot changed direction off the skate of Boston defenseman Nikita Zadorov. Kaprizov then sealed the victory with an empty-net goal with 1:01 remaining in regulation, marking his third goal of the season and the 11th of his career in eight games against the Bruins.
Upcoming Matchups for Minnesota and Boston
Meanwhile, the Wild travel to face the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday to open a three-game road trip.
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