- Blues goalie Joel Hofer was called for interference after he drilled Kirill Kaprizov into the boards late in a 5-4 Wild win
- Kaprizov went down the tunnel, but John Hynes said afterward he’s OK
- Read below for Jesper Wallstedt’s “dirty play” comment and the video of the hit
Kirill Kaprizov took a scary hit from the opposing goalie on Thursday night, and the Wild are saying he’s fine.
With 4:31 left in the third period of Minnesota’s 5-4 win over St. Louis, Kaprizov chased a puck around the boards behind the Blues net. Goalie Joel Hofer came out of his crease and dumped him, sending Kaprizov into the boards. Hofer was called for interference.
Kaprizov stayed down for a bit, then got up and took his next shift on the power play. He missed a loose puck in the slot, Robert Thomas scored shorthanded 31 seconds later, and Kaprizov headed down the tunnel.
The Wild were up 5-2 when it happened, and St. Louis scored again with 15 seconds left to make it a one-goal finish. Minnesota came in with seven players hurt, including Jared Spurgeon and Brock Faber, so another injury to a top guy was the last thing the room needed.
Wild beat writer Michael Russo of The Athletic reported that Kaprizov was in the medical room when reporters entered the locker room. Quinn Hughes and Matt Boldy spoke with him and told reporters he seemed OK, and head coach John Hynes said the same.
Goalie Jesper Wallstedt was asked about the hit after the game, and he made it clear he didn’t like it.
“I think it’s a dirty play,” Wallstedt said. “There’s no reason for him to go out there and not play the puck and just play the player. He knows, everyone knows, that’s one of our best players. Up 5-2, there’s just no reason as a goalie to do that.”
Wallstedt added that he likes Hofer as a guy but called it an ugly play.
Kaprizov had already done his damage by then. He scored his league-leading ninth goal in eight games, a nice passing play that we caught on video, and finished with a goal and two assists in 22:52 of ice time:
That follows the hat trick he put up in Florida last week, and Minnesota needs him healthy given the injury list.
The Wild host Columbus on Sunday at 5 p.m. CT, and that’s when we’ll know for sure if Kaprizov is in the lineup.
