Quinn Hughes and Michael McCarron wasted no time putting Minnesota in front, and the Wild never really let Washington breathe on the way to a 5-1 win Sunday.
Minnesota struck twice in the first 5:27, then kept the Capitals chasing the rest of the afternoon. Justin Sourdif got Washington on the board late in the second period, but that was as close as the home team would get before the Wild pulled away again.
Maxim Shabanov’s power-play goal with 2:23 left in the third pushed the lead back to two, and Kirill Kaprizov followed with an empty-net goal for his 500th career point and league-leading 15th goal of the season. With 24.9 seconds remaining and Washington’s goalie pulled again, Danila Yurov added one more.
The result snapped Washington’s three-game winning streak and came against a Minnesota team that has been rolling. The Wild have points in eight of their last nine and have allowed two goals or fewer in five of their past six.
Hughes opened the scoring at 3:42 with his fifth goal of the season. McCarron made it 2-0 with a shot from the slot.
Washington had been scoring in bunches lately, with at least four goals in five of its previous six games, but Minnesota and Jesper Wallstedt shut that down. Wallstedt turned aside several chances, including a look from Alex Ovechkin in the third period after Cole Hutson found him on the doorstep. The puck bounced off Ovechkin’s skate and he couldn’t settle it.
Ovechkin later had another shot from the slot stopped by Wallstedt, and Alex Tuch also came up empty after stealing the puck near the Minnesota net.
Sourdif’s goal came on a deflection past Wallstedt just before the second intermission. Jordan Kyrou saw his six-game point streak end for Washington.
In Other News...
Mikko Rantanens Deal Says Everything About Dallas Next Big Negotiation
Mikko Rantanens new eight-year, $96 million extension with Dallas landed as one of those deals that says as much about the player as it does about the market. In a league where the salary cap keeps climbing and top-end scorers keep getting pricier, Rantanen still chose a path that gave the Stars cost certainty and gave himself a long-term home, even if the number came in below what he might have commanded elsewhere.
For Minnesota fans watching the ripple effects, the more interesting part is what it means for the Stars next major negotiation. Jason Robertson is on a one-year contract that expires after this season, and Dallas now has a fresh example of how it has handled star business when the timing gets tricky. The cap keeps moving, the tax picture in Texas remains part of the equation, and the Stars will soon have to decide how far they are willing to go to keep another core piece in place. [Read more 🡒]
Wild May Have The Best Dylan Larkin Offer And Still Miss Out
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Even so, Detroit has not moved, and the gap appears to be about more than just interest. The Red Wings are looking for more than what has been proposed, with the hold-up centering on how much present value they want in return rather than a package built mostly around future assets. Other clubs, including Montreal, Buffalo and St. Louis, have checked in, but they are not on Larkins approved list, which leaves Minnesota in the awkward position of having the strongest bid and no guarantee it will matter. [Read more 🡒]
Wild Suddenly Have Two Early Problems That Could Linger
The Wild have spent the early part of the season juggling a growing injury list, with key pieces such as Filip Gustavsson, Brock Faber, Nico Sturm and Jared Spurgeon all dealing with issues that have forced Minnesota to adjust on the fly. Head coach John Hynes offered a little optimism on the recovery front, saying Gustavsson and Faber have both resumed skating as they work their way back, which at least gives the club a clearer sense of where two important pieces stand.
There is also the broader roster question hanging over the organization, even if it is not one the Wild are publicly chasing in the moment. General manager Bill Guerin said there has not been recent communication with Quinn Hughes' camp, and his focus remains on the team in front of him. For a club trying to steady itself through injuries, that kind of uncertainty only adds another layer to an already delicate stretch. [Read more 🡒]