Wild Beat Canadiens 2-1 on Kaprizov Overtime Winner in Montreal
Kirill Kaprizov scored a power-play goal 21 seconds into overtime after Nick Suzuki tied the game with 1 minute 38 seconds left in regulation. Jesper Wallstedt made 27 saves at the Bell Centre.
Key points
- The Minnesota Wild beat the Montreal Canadiens 2-1 in overtime at the Bell Centre on Tuesday night.
- Kirill Kaprizov won it on a power play 21 seconds into overtime.
- Bobby Brink scored in the third period to give Minnesota a 1-0 lead.
The Minnesota Wild beat the Montreal Canadiens 2-1 in overtime at the Bell Centre on Tuesday night. The game had no goals for two periods, then gave the crowd of the home team a late tie and an early overtime finish.
Kirill Kaprizov won it on a power play 21 seconds into overtime. He scored on a slap shot, with assists from Matt Boldy and Quinn Hughes. The power play came from a slashing penalty on Cole Caufield with 57 seconds left in the third period.
Two scoreless periods, then a rush
Bobby Brink scored in the third period to give Minnesota a 1-0 lead. Montreal pushed through the period and tied the game with 1 minute 38 seconds left. Nick Suzuki scored on a snap shot, assisted by Caufield and Lane Hutson.
Jesper Wallstedt made 27 saves for Minnesota, a .964 save percentage. Jacob Fowler made 22 saves for Montreal. Minnesota blocked 23 shots. Montreal won 65.5 percent of faceoffs and lost anyway.
Quinn Hughes played 29 minutes 28 seconds for Minnesota, the most of any skater. Hutson played 26 minutes 47 seconds for Montreal and had six shots.
What it means
Montreal had won four of its past five games going in. The Canadiens took one point for the overtime loss. Minnesota won its 13th game of the season.
The Wild power play finished one for three. The winner came on the one that mattered, with the penalty from the end of regulation still running.
Montreal's next test comes on the road, and Minnesota keeps a place near the top of the Central Division with a win built on goaltending and one late penalty.
One shot was enough
Kaprizov took one shot all night. It was the winner. He played 20 minutes 43 seconds and scored on the only shot he put on goal, a slap shot from the power play unit with Boldy and Hughes, who played 29 minutes 28 seconds and took the assist on the play.
Montreal outshot Minnesota 28-24. Minnesota won the hits 22-18 and the blocked shots 23-12. Montreal gave the puck away 15 times and took it away seven times. None of it changed the scoreboard.
Jared Spurgeon blocked four shots for Minnesota. Jonas Brodin played 25 minutes 35 seconds. For Montreal, Fowler's .917 save percentage in the loss matched a strong night that ended with one point.
The first two periods finished 0-0 with both goalies clean. Brink broke the tie in the third, Suzuki answered in the final two minutes, and the penalty that Caufield took at the end of regulation decided the game 21 seconds into overtime.