- Matt Boldy scored three goals and added an assist in the Wild’s 5-4 win over the Blues
- Quinn Hughes pushed his season-opening point and assist streaks to eight games
- Read below for the late Blues rally and what Boldy said afterward
Matt Boldy ran the show in St. Paul.
The Wild winger scored three goals and added an assist in a 5-4 win over the Blues on Thursday at Grand Casino Arena. It was the fifth NHL hat trick of his career, according to the NHL.com game recap.
Jonatan Berggren gave St. Louis a 1-0 lead 1:45 into the game. Boldy tied it at 7:31 with a quick slap shot on a 5-on-3, then Danila Yurov put Minnesota ahead before the first period ended.
Mason McTavish tied it 2-2 early in the second, and Boldy answered just 27 seconds later. He finished the hat trick at 16:47 to make it 5-2.
Catch the highlights from the game:
Boldy was asked about the team’s effort with several players out of the lineup.
“Everyone made a difference, which is what you need when guys are out,” Boldy said. “It’s that next man up.”
Quinn Hughes had two assists, including one on Boldy’s power-play goal, and stretched his season-opening point and assist streaks to eight games. The eight-game assist run ties Filip Kuba for the second-longest by a defenseman in NHL history, and Hughes has been rolling since his point streak hit six games Monday against Vegas.
Kirill Kaprizov added a goal and two assists, extending his point streak to five games. He also took a late hit from Hofer that drew an interference penalty in the third period.
The Blues made it interesting late. Robert Thomas scored short-handed at 16:00 of the third, and Dylan Holloway cut it to 5-4 with 15 seconds left and Joel Hofer pulled for the extra attacker. Jesper Wallstedt made 21 saves for Minnesota.
Boldy went without a point in the Wild’s first four games. He has five goals in the four since, and at 369 games he is the third-fastest active American to reach five hat tricks, behind Tage Thompson and Jason Robertson.
Wild coach John Hynes said Boldy’s approach hasn’t changed through the slow stretch. “He’ll do whatever it takes to win and sometimes the points don’t come, but his game doesn’t change,” Hynes said.
Minnesota improved to 5-2-1 and has won three of its last four.
