Kirill Kaprizov is wasting no time showing what life can look like after Mats Zuccarello.
The Wild winger scored twice Saturday night in Minnesota’s 4-1 win over the Boston Bruins in the home opener at Grand Casino Arena, giving him three goals through two games after he also found the net in Thursday’s season-opening victory over Nashville. Minnesota is 2-0, and Kaprizov is already driving the early story of the season.
Boston made the night a little messy at the start. Tanner Jeannot put the Bruins ahead just 1:53 into the game, and even with Boston playing the night before in Winnipeg, the visitors came out with the quicker start. Minnesota spent much of the first period searching for rhythm before Kaprizov took over in the second.
His tying goal came at 6:11 of the second period on the power play, when he buried a one-timer in front off a short feed from Maxim Shabanov. It was Shabanov’s first assist and first point with the Wild. Less than six minutes later, Quinn Hughes pushed Minnesota in front with another power-play goal, and Jared Spurgeon added one more before Kaprizov finished things off with an empty-net goal late.
That kind of night fits the question hanging over Kaprizov since the offseason: what does he look like without Zuccarello on his wing?
Zuccarello signed a one-year deal with the Los Angeles Kings, ending a partnership that helped define Kaprizov’s first years in Minnesota. When Kaprizov arrived in 2020, he spoke almost no English, and Zuccarello helped him settle into North America. The two built one of the most important combinations in recent Wild history, with Zuccarello assisting on about 40 percent of Kaprizov’s goals.
Now the setup is different, and so is the burden. Kaprizov has a new linemate and more responsibility on the top line, which gives him more chances to hold the puck, push the pace and attack the net himself.
“Maybe I play more aggressively,” Kaprizov said.
Saturday’s two goals backed that up. One came from the crease on the power play.
The other was the empty-netter that capped the night. And alongside him, Shabanov is still getting used to the details.
Minnesota signed Shabanov to a one-year, $1.6 million contract on July 2 after the New York Islanders did not tender him a qualifying offer. He arrived after a big KHL season with 23 goals and 44 assists in 65 games, but his first NHL season with New York was much bumpier. He finished with 18 points in 44 games and spent time as a healthy scratch.
The Wild are giving him a different kind of chance - one that puts him in a more meaningful offensive role next to one of the league’s best players. Through two games, he’s starting to settle in, even if he and Kaprizov are still figuring out the small stuff.
Kaprizov laughed about one of those moments after the game. Shabanov kept asking which player he had on line changes.
Kaprizov takes Marcus Foligno, No. 17, while Shabanov takes Nick Foligno, No. 71, and Kaprizov said Shabanov asked him three times on one second-period shift. He joked that he had to yell at him a little.
That’s part of the adjustment Minnesota is asking for this year. The Wild aren’t trying to recreate the old Kaprizov-Zuccarello pairing. They want Shabanov to bring a different element to the top line while Kaprizov absorbs more of the load himself.
And the early returns have gone beyond that first line. Blake Coleman scored in his Wild debut, Nick Foligno got Minnesota’s first goal of the season, and Hughes added another power-play marker Saturday.
There’s also been work on the other side of the puck. The penalty kill, which had its issues at times last season, went 4-for-4 in the opener. Minnesota has done all of this without Filip Gustavsson, who is recovering from surgery, and without Brock Faber, who is out with a skull fracture.
The schedule gets tougher from here, with 21 of the Wild’s first 31 games on the road. For now, though, they head into that stretch 2-0, with Kaprizov already looking comfortable in a role that asks more of him and, at least in these first two games, seems to be getting more back in return.
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Wild Let A 2-0 Lead Slip In A Brutal Road Loss
The Wild had the game where they wanted it for most of the night in Buffalo, carrying a two-goal lead into the stretch before the Sabres started to chip away. Minnesota could not close it out, and what looked like a solid road win instead turned into a frustrating defeat after Buffalos late push kept the pressure on until the end.
Buffalo finished the rally with third-period goals from Tage Thompson and Noah Ostlund to force overtime, while Colten Ellis held his own with 18 saves in his season debut. For a Minnesota team that had already done enough early to feel in control, the loss leaves the familiar sour aftertaste of letting a lead get away, especially with the Sabres finding just enough offense to turn the night around. [Read more 🡒]
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Foligno, who scored the Wilds season-opening goal earlier in the year, has been part of the group since arriving last season and returning on a one-year deal. For Minnesota, any absence would be worth monitoring not just because of what he brings on the ice, but because he has fit as one of those dependable role players who can steady a lineup when things get choppy. [Read more 🡒]
Wild Forced Into Forward Shuffle Before Next Game
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Tyler Pitlick was recalled from Iowa to help fill the gap, giving the Wild another experienced option who has spent time in both the NHL and AHL. Now in his second year with Minnesota, Pitlick gives the coaching staff a familiar plug-in as it waits to see how long Foligno is unavailable. [Read more 🡒]