Wild F Kirill Kaprizov named NHL’s First Star of the Week
Kirill Kaprizov #97 of the Minnesota Wild skates with the puck past Joel Kiviranta #25 of the Dallas Stars in the first period in Game Six of the First Round of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Xcel Energy Center on April 28, 2023 in St Paul, Minneso ((Photo by David Berding/Getty Images))
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Minnesota Wild forward Kirill Kaprizov on Monday was named the NHL’s First Star of the Week.
Kaprizov led the NHL with six goals and 12 total points as the Wild went 3-1 last week with wins over the Vancouver Canucks, Edmonton Oilers and Seattle Kraken. The Wild is hanging onto slim hopes to get into the Western Conference Playoffs. With 24 regular season games left, the Wild is four points out of the last spot in the playoffs.
At 28-24-6, their 62 points is four behind the Nashville Predators for the No. 8 spot in the West.
Kaprizov tied franchise records for points in a game (6) and in a period (4) in Minnesota’s 10-7 win over Vancouver. He recorded his fourth career hat trick and 20th career game-winning goal. Kaprizov added a goal and an assist in a 6-3 loss to the Winnipeg Jets.
Kaprizov had two goals and an assist in Sunday’s 5-2 win over the Kraken. That’s his seventh three-point game this season. Kaprizov leads the Wild with 63 points in 51 games. His 26 goals and 37 assists are both second on the team.
The Wild hosts the Carolina Hurricanes Tuesday night at Xcel Energy Center.