Blake Coleman scores twice as Minnesota Wild beat Seattle Kraken 5-1 at Climate Pledge Arena

By Vancouver Television Sports Desk

Minnesota jumped out early and never let up as the Wild defeated the Seattle Kraken 5-1 at Climate Pledge Arena on Saturday. The win improved Minnesota to a 7-3-2 record after the team had dropped its previous two games to open a five-game road trip.

The Wild drew their first goal just 26 seconds into the first period when Kirill Kaprizov scored on a breakaway. Kaprizov skated through the left circle past Seattle defenseman Vince Dunn, cut across in front of the net, and chipped in a backhand to give Minnesota a 1-0 lead.

Seattle responded at 10:13 of the first period, tying the game 1-1 one second after its power play ended. Jesper Wallstedt had started in goal for Minnesota, while Berkly Catton finished a tic-tac-toe passing sequence that moved from Brandon Montour at the point to Kaapo Kakko at the left post and back to Catton in the right circle. Catton’s wrist shot hit Wallstedt’s shoulder, then struck the post and went in to even the score.

Coleman put Minnesota back in front at 2:11 of the second period on another breakaway. The goal came 11 seconds after the end of a penalty, as Coleman capitalized on a bad Seattle line change; Matt Kiersted sprung him with a stretch pass. Coleman converted with a snap shot off the right post and into the net to make it 2-1.

Olli Maatta extended the Wild’s lead to 3-1 at 11:33 of the second period with a wrist shot from the point through traffic. The shot beat Joey Daccord, slipping past his glove to increase Minnesota’s advantage.

Eriksson Ek made it a 4-1 game at 13:00 of the second period by scoring 1:27 after Maatta’s goal. He won a race to Matt Boldy’s rebound; even though he partially fanned on the puck, it popped over Daccord and floated over the goal line.

Coleman capped the scoring with an empty-net goal at 16:24 of the third period to finalize the 5-1 result. In goal, Jesper Wallstedt recorded 23 saves for Minnesota, while Daccord made 31 saves for Seattle in a loss that ended a stretch of momentum for the Kraken.

For Seattle, the defeat came after the team had won its previous two games and had earned points in six of its past seven entering Saturday’s matchup. With the loss, Seattle fell to a 7-4-1 record, while Minnesota remained in control throughout the final two periods to complete the decisive victory at home for the Kraken.

The game showcased Minnesota’s transition and breakaway chances, including two early-to-mid period goals by Coleman and Kaprizov, along with additional scoring from Maatta and Eriksson Ek. The Wild’s 5-1 margin reflects a game in which they were able to turn limited opportunities into a steady lead and then close with an empty-net tally late in the third.