The Minnesota Wild secured their third straight victory on Tuesday with a 3-1 win over the Utah Mammoth at Delta Center in Salt Lake City. Kirill Kaprizov recorded both a goal and an assist during the matchup.
The Wild's scoring was bolstered by a power-play goal from Erik Eriksson Ek at 15:04 of the second period, following a one-timer from the left face-off circle. Kaprizov extended the lead 48 seconds into the third period with a power-play goal off a pass from Matt Boldy. Maxim Shabanov added a third goal for Minnesota at 11:44 of the third period after picking up a loose puck in the slot. Quinn Hughes contributed two assists for the Wild, becoming the fastest player in franchise history to reach 20 multipoint games in 62 games.
Utah's Logan Cooley scored the team's only goal at 18:39 of the third period, following a deflection of a Mikhail Sergachev shot by Nick Schmaltz. Karel Vejmelka made 27 saves for the Mammoth, while Jesper Wallstedt made 26 saves for the Wild.
Minnesota coach John Hynes noted the team's maturity and puck decisions as key factors in the win. The Wild finished their five-game road trip with a 3-1-1 record. In contrast, the Mammoth have lost three of their last five games.
Utah coach Andre Tourigny attributed the loss to the team taking seven penalties against the Wild's power play. Utah captain Clayton Keller stated that the team needs to be more connected and hungrier in the opponent's zone to create opportunities.
Kirill Kaprizov has maintained a rate of one goal per game through his first 14 games this season. He is the eighth player in NHL history to score at least 14 goals in a single October, joining others such as Mario Lemieux, Brett Hull, Simon Gagne, Auston Matthews, and Leon Draisaitl.
During the game, Minnesota defenseman Jared Spurgeon left the contest at 4:04 of the second period after blocking shots from Utah's Dylan Guenther. Coach John Hynes did not provide an update on Spurgeon's status following the game.
