Kirill Kaprizov didn’t just help the Minnesota Wild beat the Columbus Blue Jackets on Sunday night - he carved out a little franchise history along the way.
The Wild’s 2-1 win at Grand Casino Arena in St. Paul, Minn., was the backdrop for Kaprizov’s second-period power-play goal, a strike that put Minnesota ahead 2-1 and gave him 10 goals on the season. The goal came at the 3:06 mark and was set up by Max Shabanov and Joel Eriksson Ek.
That goal made Kaprizov the first player in the NHL to reach 10 goals this season, and he did it in just nine games. It also made him the fastest player in Wild history to get to 10 regular-season goals. Minnesota had never had a player reach double digits in fewer than 12 games.
Eriksson Ek picked up the assist on the play for the 200th of his career, putting him among a small group in franchise history. He became one of 12 players in Wild history with at least 200 career assists.
Kaprizov’s early-season pace puts him in pretty exclusive company league-wide, too. He became the sixth active NHL player to reach 10 regular-season goals in nine games or fewer, joining Auston Matthews, Alex Ovechkin, David Pastrnak, Nikita Kucherov and Sidney Crosby.
The win pushed Minnesota to 6-2-1 on the season even though the team was without top defensemen Brock Faber and Jared Spurgeon, who was placed on injured reserve with an upper body injury.
At home, the Wild keep rolling. Sunday’s victory moved them to 4-0 at Grand Casino Arena this season, their best home start since 2016-17. They’ve now won eight straight home games dating back to last season.
Next up, Minnesota opens a five-game road trip Tuesday night against the Edmonton Oilers.
In Other News...
Wild Make Another Roster Move After Key Injury Absence
The Wilds roster shuffle continued with a pair of recalls from Iowa, bringing up forward Hunter Haight and defenseman Carson Lambos as Minnesota adjusts to the latest disruption on the blue line and up front. The moves come with the club still trying to keep its depth intact while navigating an injury situation that has forced the front office to tap further into the organization.
Jared Spurgeon landing on Injured Reserve is the latest reminder of how quickly the picture can change for Minnesota, especially with a veteran defenseman out of the mix. Down in the minors, the ripple effect reached the Iowa Wild too, as they brought in defenseman Reilly Webb from the Jacksonville Icemen, another sign of how the organization is trying to stay covered at every level. [Read more 🡒]
Wild Still Facing A Roster Squeeze Around Jared Spurgeon
Jared Spurgeons return to practice was an encouraging sign for the Wild, but it did not mean he was ready to jump right back into the lineup. Minnesota placed the defenseman on injured reserve retroactively, a move that keeps the door open for him to come back as soon as the teams next game in Edmonton while the club managed its immediate roster situation against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
To cover the short-term gap, the Wild brought up forward Hunter Haight and defenseman Carson Lambos from Iowa, giving the team some extra insurance as it works through the stretch without Spurgeon. It is a familiar kind of squeeze for a team trying to stay afloat in the standings while also keeping one eye on when a key veteran can be cleared for game action. [Read more 🡒]
Wild Blue Line Suddenly Faces A Bigger Jared Spurgeon Concern
Jared Spurgeons latest absence has pushed the Wilds blue line into a more unsettled spot, with general manager Bill Guerin moving the captain to injured reserve retroactive to Oct. 12. The move formalizes what has already been a recent concern for Minnesota, as Spurgeon has been out with an upper-body injury while still producing one goal and four assists early in the season.
Minnesota responded by recalling defensemen Carson Lambos and Hunter Haight from the Iowa Wild, a sign that the team needed additional bodies on the back end while Spurgeon remains unavailable. For a group that leans heavily on its captain's steadiness and experience, the timing makes the injury feel a little more significant, even if the club is still waiting for a clearer sense of the longer-term picture. [Read more 🡒]