Kirill Kaprizov set the Wild’s all-time goal-scoring record Tuesday night as Minnesota rolled to a 5-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning in Saint Paul, Minn.
With his club comfortably ahead and the Lightning net empty, the 28-year-old Kaprizov tallied the history-making goal, his 220th, into an empty net at 16:41 of the third period. He broke a tie with Marian Gaborik for the franchise mark.
Minnesota’s Brock Faber, Mats Zuccarello and Quinn Hughes each notched a goal and an assist. Yakov Trenin added a marker as the Wild broke a two-game losing skid but moved to 7-2-0 in the past nine games.
Matt Boldy recorded three assists to stretch his point streak to a career-high-tying 10 games (eight goals, 13 assists).
Wild goaltender Filip Gustavsson stopped 24 shots.
Defenseman Jonas Brodin returned from a 14-game absence caused by a lower-body injury to skate 15:24 of ice time and log a plus-1 rating.
Nikita Kucherov scored for Tampa Bay, which opened a four-game road trip with its third straight loss (0-3-0). Andrei Vasilevskiy made 17 saves.
Wearing throwback green North Stars sweaters with yellow and white trim, the Wild went ahead 1-0 at 3:46 of the first period when Team USA gold-medal-winning teammates Faber and Boldy crafted the first tally.
Boldy earned the secondary assist as Faber sent a fluttering shot that Vasilevskiy appeared to be fooled by and could not glove.
Gustavsson denied Oliver Bjorkstrand on a breakaway at 7:18 to maintain the one-goal lead, and the period ended that way with Tampa Bay holding a 12-5 shot advantage.
Just three minutes into the second, Gustavsson kick-saved a shot by Brandon Hagel to thwart a 2-on-1 break. Minnesota then made it 2-0 on a 4-on-3 power play when Zuccarello blistered a wrister that clipped Vasilevskiy’s shoulder and went in at 4:59.
Kucherov answered at 15:07 of the second, but Minnesota regained the two-goal lead again two minutes later. Vasilevskiy reached out and tried to freeze an easy, sliding puck but misplayed it off his face-down glove, and Trenin quickly potted it.
Hughes, who scored the game-winner in overtime in Team USA’s quarterfinal thriller over Sweden, blazed through the slot and made it 4-1 at 6:53 of the third, eliciting a “USA, USA!” cheer from the crowd.
–Field Level Media
