Kirill Kaprizov doesn’t need a lot of space to score, but he’s not afraid to take advantage of a little help from the opposing goalie.
In the first period of the Wild’s 4-1 win on Saturday, the Minnesota forward scored after his shot from a sharp angle bounced off Philadelphia Flyers goalie Samuel Ersson’s helmet and went into the net.
“He’s a skilled player,” Ersson said. “I don’t think it’s luck for him.”
A little over 15 minutes into a scoreless first period, Wild defenseman Jon Merrill took a shot that hit the boards behind Ersson. The puck bounced out to Kaprizov, who was about a foot away from the goal line and 10 feet to the left of the net.
Ersson slid to his left to cover the post. But Kaprizov took a high shot from a tough angle, and it hit the side of Ersson’s head before going into the net.
Wild coach John Hines said Kaprizov practices shots like this for up to 30 minutes every day after practice or before games, and it paid off again.
“It isn’t the first time he’s done it in a game either,” said Wild goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, who faces Kaprizov every day in practice. “So I’m not surprised. He’s fun to watch.”
Kaprizov scored an empty-net goal with 2:10 left, his 20th of the season, moving him into second place in the NHL, just one behind Edmonton’s Leon Draisaitl.
