Minnesota Wild Triumph Over Montreal Canadiens
The Minnesota Wild triumphed over the Montreal Canadiens with a narrow 4-3 win on Monday night, thanks to Kirill Kaprizov’s decisive power play goal in overtime. This marked Kaprizov’s 32nd goal of the season and his second of the match. With just 3:38 elapsed in the extra frame, Kaprizov capitalized on a power play awarded after Phillip Danault was called for hooking him. The Russian winger received a precise pass from Quinn Hughes and unleashed a strong shot from the high slot, outmaneuvering goalie Jakub Dobes to secure the victory for the Wild.
Game Highlights
This match saw the Wild extend their winning streak to four games, while it also halted the Canadiens’ winning momentum at three. Minnesota’s early dominance was highlighted by Joel Eriksson Ek and Brock Faber also contributing goals. Eriksson Ek initiated the scoring at just 38 seconds into the first period with a wrist shot from the right circle. Shortly thereafter, with 4:12 remaining in the first, Kaprizov doubled Minnesota’s lead by redirecting another setup from Hughes.
However, Montreal mounted a comeback, starting with Brendan Gallagher finding the back of the net late in the first period, followed by Ivan Demidov tying the game just before the second period ended. Kirby Dach then stunned the Wild by scoring 12 seconds into the third period, putting Montreal ahead for the first time.
Key Performances
Faber was pivotal in the Wild’s resilience, scoring at 7:05 of the third to equalize the score at 3-3, earning an assist from Hughes, who reached a notable 50 assists for the season. Hughes’ contributions allowed him to tie for the most assists in franchise history in a single season, maintaining a point streak of nine games consecutively for defensemen. In total, Hughes assisted on Kaprizov’s first goal as well.
Injury Update and Upcoming Matches
In addition, the Wild had to deal with an injury as defenseman Daemon Hunt exited the game after being struck in the throat by a puck early in the first period. Both teams will head into the Olympic break after their respective matches, with the Canadiens visiting Winnipeg and the Wild traveling to Nashville on Wednesday night.
