Minnesota Wild vs Vancouver Canucks Match Player Stats On Mar 02, 2023

Kirill Kaprizov scored two goals and Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 21 of 22 shots as the visiting Minnesota Wild defeated the Vancouver Canucks 2-1 on Thursday night.

It was the seventh multigoal of the season for Kaprizov, tying his career high. Minnesota extended its season-best point streak to eight games (7-0-1) with its third straight win.

Minnesota played a one-goal game for the 10th time in the past 11 games, with the only exception a 2-0 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Wild improved to 8-1-2 during that span.

Minnesota native Brock Boeser, rumored as a possible trade target of the Wild, scored for Vancouver, which fell to 11-17-1 at home this season. Thatcher Demko, making his second start after missing 35 games due to a groin injury, finished with 34 saves.

The Wild needed just 44 seconds to take a 1-0 lead. Kaprizov, left alone by the left post, redirected Mats Zuccarello's pass from above the right circle into an open net.

Vancouver tied it 1-1 at 14:03 of the first period on a power-play goal by Boeser, who one-timed a Vitali Kravtsov pass under the crossbar from the left circle for his 12th of the season.

The goal snapped Minnesota's string of 27 consecutive penalty kills, the longest in the NHL this season. The Wild had also gone 12 consecutive games without allowing a power-play goal, tying a franchise record.

Minnesota regained the lead early in the second period when Ryan Hartman sprung Kaprizov on a breakaway. Demko stopped the initial wrist shot from the edge of the left circle but left the rebound to the right of the crease, where Kaprizov skated by and tapped it in for his 39th of the season at 3:40.

Kaprizov had a chance for the hat trick after Vancouver pulled Demko for an extra attacker, but he fired wide of the empty net.

--Field Level Media