Kirill Kaprizov Scores, Assists in Wild's 5-1 Win

Kirill Kaprizov scored and assisted on two goals as the Minnesota Wild beat the Colorado Avalanche 5-1 on May 9, 2026. The Wild's win forced a goalie change and handed the Avalanche their first loss in the postseason.

What happened?

The game started with Kaprizov scoring on a four-on-four play late in the first period. Quinn Hughes followed with a four-on-three goal less than two minutes later.

Key plays

Ryan Hartman batted in a deflected power-play shot with 4:23 elapsed in the second period. This prompted an early departure for Avalanche goalie Scott Wedgewood in favor of Mackenzie Blackwood. Nathan MacKinnon got the Avalanche on the board on a power play later in the second period.

Turning point

But Brock Faber answered just 20 seconds later by deflecting a puck past Blackwood. Kaprizov's performance moved him into the league postseason lead with 14 points.

Postgame reaction

“I think we take a little breath and take a couple good days to practice and a couple days off and it obviously helps us, everyone, feel better,” Kaprizov said. The Wild's Jesper Wallstedt made 35 saves in his return to the net after a 9-6 loss in the series opener. Matt Boldy added an empty-net goal to seal the Wild's win. The Avalanche will take a 2-1 lead into Game 4 in Minnesota on Monday. Faber had two assists and has nine points in nine playoff games. Mats Zuccarello, who took the shot that Faber tipped past Blackwood, also had two assists and has 10 points in seven playoff games. The Avalanche faced their first multigoal deficit of this postseason after having 12 different players score over the first two games of the series, an NHL record.