What a performance from Kaprizov.
Elvis Merzlikins put up a fantastic 41-save performance but was outshined by Kirill Kaprizov's hat trick as the Wild beat the Blue Jackets 3-2 in overtime at Xcel Energy Center on Sunday.
1st Period
Ryan Hartman had the game's first big chance at 9:26 after he danced around Nick Blankenburg and fired a wrist shot from the right circle, but he missed the net.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | F(OT) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BLUE JACKETS | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| MIN WILD | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
Mathieu Olivier opened the scoring at 16:20 after Eric Robinson forced a turnover in the left corner of the zone and found Mathieu Olivier who pirouetted and roofed a shot from the left doorstep.
#CBJ Olivier (5) goal pic.twitter.com/SuRxidpA8O
— Coby Maeir (@CobyMaeir) February 26, 2023
The Jackets took a 1-0 lead into the first intermission while trailing 13-7 in shots on goal.
2nd Period
The Wild nearly tied the game at 0:11 after Kaprizov got behind the defense on a breakaway, but Merzlikins made the save.
Liam Foudy gave the Jackets a 2-0 lead at 3:04 after Cole Sillinger leaped to catch a clearing attempt to keep the offensive-zone rush alive before Erik Gudbranson's centering feed from the right wing went off of Foudy, who was at the right doorstep, and in.
#CBJ Foudy (2) goal pic.twitter.com/zHX7HA6JxO
— Coby Maeir (@CobyMaeir) February 26, 2023
Merzlikins denied Kaprizov again at 4:15 from the left slot after giving up a juicy rebound from a right-circle shot from Hartman.
Foudy nearly notched his second tally of the game at 8:17 on a two-on-one rush with a shot from the right circle that was denied by Marc-Andre Fleury, which led to an odd-man rush the other way, where Merzlikins stopped Alex Goligoski's shot from the left circle.
Mats Zuccarello had a golden chance to score at 16:10 from the slot after a beautiful backhand pass from below the goal line by Kaprizov, but Merzlikins made another key save.
The Jackets took a 2-0 lead into the third period while trailing 27-19 in shots on goal.
3rd Period
Kaprizov got the Wild on the board at 1:15 after Andrew Peeke cleared the puck off the goal line but couldn't clear the zone, leading to a point shot from Hartman that deflected off of Peeke's stick and off Kaprizov and in.
#mnwild Kaprizov goal pic.twitter.com/oSkeeMvDtq
— Coby Maeir (@CobyMaeir) February 26, 2023
With the Wild on a five-on-three power play, Kaprizov was left wide-open off the left-circle face-off and fired a snapshot from the right slot.
#mnwild Kaprizov goal pic.twitter.com/e4aLQfkq89
— Coby Maeir (@CobyMaeir) February 26, 2023
The teams were tied at two heading to overtime with Minnesota leading 43-23 in shots on goal.
Overtime
Kaprizov scored the winner at 4:40 after he beat Gaudreau away from the puck to get wide-open at the right doorstep to finish a one-timer.
#mnwild Kaprizov goal pic.twitter.com/vTIXAvekEv
— Coby Maeir (@CobyMaeir) February 26, 2023
With the loss, the Jackets fall to 19-35-6.
Stats
- Shots on Goal: CBJ 24-44 MIN
- Faceoff %: CBJ 50.9-49.1 MIN
- Power play: CBJ 0/2-1/2 MIN
- Takeaways: CBJ 5-10 MIN
- Giveaways: CBJ 5-14 MIN
- Blocked shots: CBJ 16-17 MIN
- Hits: CBJ 16-31 MIN
-
5-on-5 stats (via naturalstattrick.com):
- Expected Goals (xG): CBJ 1.70-3.15 MIN
- Chances (CF): CBJ 44-64 MIN
- Shots (SF): CBJ 22-36 MIN
- Scoring Chances (SCF): CBJ 18-29 MIN
- High-Danger Chances (HDCF): CBJ 6-11 MIN
Injury Update
Adam Boqvist missed today's game with a lower-body injury he suffered in Saturday's game and is listed as day-to-day.
Next Up
The Blue Jackets stay on the road and will take on the Sabres in Buffalo Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN+ and Hulu.
The club returns home to host the Seattle Kraken on Friday at 7 p.m. ET on Bally Sports
