Kaprizov scores for the third-straight game; Minnesota holds off struggling Boston 3-2
By MIKE COOK Associated Press
ST. PAUL, Minn. - Kirill Kaprizov scored for the third straight game, Joel Eriksson Ek and Marcus Foligno added goals, and the Minnesota Wild held off struggling a Boston 3-2 on Saturday night.
Marc-Andre Fleury made 19 saves for career win No. 550, one shy of tying Patrick Roy for the second-most in NHL history.
David Pastrnak and Morgan Geekie scored, and Linus Ullmark made 32 saves for the Bruins, who are 0-2-2 in their past four. Boston has not lost four in a row since an 0-4-1 skid Dec. 5-12, 2019.
Kaprizov has four goals and two assists in his past three games.
In addition to Tuesday's overtime winner against Boston, Kaprizov scored with 4.9 seconds left in overtime in Thursday's 4-3 win against Montreal.
Minnesota, 10-3-0 since John Hynes became coach, took over in the middle stanza, outshooting Boston 19-6 and turning a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 lead in 85 seconds.
Eriksson Ek netted his team-leading seventh power-play goal of the season almost six minutes into the second period, scoring off a rebound of a one-timer by Matt Boldy.
Then, Kaprizov, from the top of the slot, passed to Alex Goligoski near the left dot, continued cutting down the slot, and buried a perfect return feed for a 2-1 Wild lead.
Foligno converted a pass from Pat Maroon early in the third period for his first goal in nine games.
Geekie, stopped twice by Fleury on breakaways, buried a pass from Danton Heinen with 6:07 to play to get the Bruins within 3-2.
Pastrnak, who scored twice on Tuesday against Minnesota, scored on the power-play early in the first with a one-timer from the left dot for his 20th tally of the season.
He is the sixth player in franchise history to reach the 20-goal mark in eight consecutive seasons.
Wild captain Jared Spurgeon missed his sixth straight game because of a lower-body injury and forward Ryan Hartman missed his second straight with an upper-body injury.
UP NEXT
Bruins: At Buffalo on Wednesday.
Wild: Host Detroit on Wednesday.