Kaprizov Powers Wild Past Sharks With Goal and Three Assists
Minnesota leads the Western Conference with 27 points after a 4-1 win in St. Paul, while San Jose drops to 1-6-0 in its last seven games.
By Neha Kapoor ·
Kirill Kaprizov opened the scoring from the right faceoff circle on a five-on-three power play at 7:56 of the first period, giving the Minnesota Wild an early lead over the San Jose Sharks. The Wild dominated the rest of the night, finishing with a 4-1 victory on Friday.
Kaprizov recorded his 16th goal of the season, an NHL-leading total, and added three assists. Quinn Hughes contributed a goal and two assists, while Maxim Shabanov and Zach Bogosian also found the back of the net for Minnesota. Shabanov broke a 1-1 tie with a power-play goal at 5:45 of the second period after Kaprizov sent a cross-ice pass that he redirected past the goaltender. Hughes extended the lead to 3-1 with a wrist shot at 6:55 of the third period, and Bogosian scored his first goal of the season to close out the scoring.
Jesper Wallstedt stopped 23 shots for his 11th win in 16 starts, a mark that leads all NHL goaltenders. The Wild have won their last six games and hold the top spot in the Western Conference with 27 points. San Jose has struggled recently, dropping six of its last seven contests. Yaroslav Askarov made 25 saves for the Sharks, and captain Macklin Celebrini scored his seventh goal of the season on a deflection from Dmitry Orlov midway through the second period.
Minnesota has won eight of its last 11 matchups against San Jose. The Sharks travel to Dallas on Saturday night, while the Wild host the Tampa Bay Lightning at home on the same night.
