- Kirill Kaprizov scored his league-leading 10th goal in nine games
- He is the fastest Wild player ever to reach 10 goals in a season
- Read below for how he stacks up with Matthews, Ovechkin and Crosby
Kirill Kaprizov just set a new Wild franchise mark.
Kaprizov scored his 10th goal of the season in Minnesota’s 2-1 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Sunday, doing it in just nine games. That makes him the fastest player in Wild history to reach 10 goals in a season, according to NHL.com. Brian Rolston held the old record, needing 12 games back in 2006-07.
The league’s public relations account put out the milestone right after the game:
Kaprizov’s goal came on the power play at 3:06 of the second period. He went short side over Cam Talbot’s shoulder from a sharp angle low in the left circle, and it ended up being the winner.
Watch the goal:
He’s also the first player in the NHL to hit double digits this season. Winnipeg’s Kyle Connor is next with eight, so Kaprizov has a two-goal cushion on the rest of the league.
The company he’s in is pretty good too. Kaprizov is the sixth active player to reach 10 goals in nine games or fewer, joining Auston Matthews (six games in 2018-19), Alex Ovechkin (eight games in 2017-18), David Pastrnak (nine games, twice), Nikita Kucherov (nine games in 2017-18) and Sidney Crosby (nine games in 2016-17).
Sunday also extended his point streak to six games, with 12 points over that stretch on seven goals and five assists. Minnesota is 6-2-1 and has won four of its last five. This is the same Kaprizov who torched the Panthers for a hat trick earlier this month.
Danila Yurov scored the Wild’s other goal, and Jesper Wallstedt made 13 saves. Minnesota is still undefeated at home through four games at Grand Casino Arena.
Kaprizov and the Wild get a tough test Tuesday when they host Connor McDavid and the Oilers.
