Kirill Kaprizov leads Minnesota Wild to 4-1 win over San Jose Sharks as Quinn Hughes adds three points

By Vancouver Television Sports Desk

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Kirill Kaprizov delivered a standout two-way performance with a goal and three assists as the Minnesota Wild defeated the San Jose Sharks 4-1 at Grand Casino Arena on Friday. The win improved the Wild to a 12-3-3 record, extending a streak in which they had won three straight and gone 6-0-1 over their past seven games, according to the NHL game recap.

Quinn Hughes also factored heavily into the Minnesota scoring. Hughes finished with a goal and two assists, and Jesper Wallstedt made 23 saves for the Wild to help contain a Sharks side that fell to 7-10-1. The recap also notes that San Jose had lost four straight and six of seven entering the game.

For the Sharks, Macklin Celebrini scored to cut into Minnesota’s lead, but Yaroslav Askarov was credited with 25 saves in the loss. The scoring described in the NHL summary shows Minnesota building its lead in three separate scoring bursts, creating separation after each early response.

Minnesota struck first on special teams. Kaprizov scored at 7:55 of the first period on a 5-on-3 power play, converting a one-timer from the right circle off a cross-ice pass from Hughes. The NHL recap states that the goal was Kaprizov’s League-leading 16th of the season and put the Wild ahead 1-0.

The Sharks tied the game in the second period when Celebrini redirected a shot from Dmitry Orlov. Celebrini scored at 12:11 of the second period by deflecting the puck above the blocker of Wallstedt, making it 1-1.

Minnesota restored its lead with another power-play goal. At 14:15 of the second period, Maxim Shabanov scored to make it 2-1, tapping in a backdoor pass from Kaprizov after positioning himself down near the left post, as detailed in the NHL recap.

In the third period, Minnesota expanded the advantage with Hughes’ goal at 6:54. The summary describes Hughes skating above the left circle after shaking off Celebrini in the right circle and then roofed a wrist shot past the blocker of Askarov to push the score to 3-1.

Zach Bogosian capped the scoring at 13:58 of the third period, notching his first goal of the season. The NHL recap says Bogosian skated into a rebound along the right boards and ripped a slap shot that found the far corner of the net to make it 4-1.

Beyond the on-ice result, the NHL recap provides context for San Jose’s recent stretch. The loss came two days after the Sharks held a players-only meeting following a 7-2 defeat at the Los Angeles Kings on Wednesday, the league summary reports.

The game’s scoring sequence underscored Minnesota’s ability to control momentum after tying moments. With goals from Kaprizov, Shabanov, Hughes, and Bogosian, paired with Wallstedt’s 23-save performance, the Wild maintained a multi-goal buffer after each Sharks response, ultimately securing a decisive four-goal margin over San Jose on the road.