What Happened
Kirill Kaprizov scored three goals and added an assist as the Minnesota Wild defeated the Florida Panthers 4-1 on Saturday night in Sunrise, Fla. Matt Boldy opened the scoring 53 seconds into the game, and Jesper Wallstedt stopped 28 shots for Minnesota. Matthew Tkachuk scored Florida's lone goal, while Jacob Markstrom made 25 saves for the Panthers.
Key Details
- Kaprizov scored with 13:42 left in the first, 5 minutes into the second and on an empty-netter with 1:04 remaining.
- Wallstedt has started all five Wild games, posting a 3-1-1 record, .935 save percentage and 1.79 goals-against average.
- Florida is without Aleksander Barkov and Brad Marchand and has nine goals in five games.
- The Panthers are 1 for 28 on the power play this season after an 0-for-5 night.
- Aaron Ekblad played his 807th game, breaking a tie with Barkov for the most by a Panthers player.
What It Means
The Wild improved to 42-5-2 all-time when Kaprizov records at least three points, a mark he has reached 49 times, the most in franchise history. Minnesota's early success has been backed by Wallstedt's strong play in net. Florida's slow start offensively and on the power play continues as the Panthers deal with injuries to Barkov and Marchand.