Sometimes, Minnesota Wild coach John Hynes wishes that his star player, Kirill Kaprizov, would get off the ice sooner after practice is finished.
But Kaprizov lingers, often for a half-hour or more, taking more shots from every angle. Hynes worries that Kaprizov will wear himself out but he also knows that the extra work pays off in games, when Kaprizov scores on the same shots that he practices so much.
Kaprizov and the Wild will look to stay hot when they host the Vegas Golden Knights on Sunday evening in Saint Paul, Minn.
Minnesota is looking for its second win in as many days after it pulled away for a 4-1 win over the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday. Kaprizov scored twice in the game, giving him a team-high 20 goals on the season.
“The level of consistency that he’s playing with at a high level night in and night out has been really impressive,” Hynes said. “He’s a guy that is a leader of our team on the ice, off the ice. To have him playing at the level he’s playing at, it helps drive the team.”
Vegas also will play on short rest after losing 6-3 on the road against the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday. The Golden Knights won the previous four games, including a 3-2 overtime win against the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday.
Vegas forward Ivan Barbashev said he and his teammates were happy that they had a quick turnaround to face the Wild. That way, instead of dwelling on a lopsided loss, they could channel their frustration into the next game on short notice.
“It’s like a little wake-up call,” Barbashev said. “We’ve just got to get back to our normal game. Regroup on the flight to Minny and try to go out there and play better.
“(Minnesota is) a really good team. This trip is pretty tough — playing against Winnipeg, Edmonton and Minny (on Sunday). We’ve just got to turn the page and be better.”
The Golden Knights could turn to Ilya Samsonov in net one night after Adin Hill gave up six goals on 34 shots against Edmonton. Samsonov is 6-3-1 with a 3.16 goals-against average and an .896 save percentage this season.
In two career games against the Wild, Samsonov is 2-0-0 with a 2.48 GAA and a .912 save percentage.
Minnesota’s goaltending picture is less clear after the team recalled Jesper Wallstedt on an emergency basis from the team’s American Hockey League affiliate in Iowa after the game. Wallstedt’s promotion means that either Filip Gustavsson or Marc-Andre Fleury is dealing with something that could cause him to be inactive Sunday.
The 22-year-old Wallstedt appeared in three games with the Wild last season. He went 2-1-0 with a 3.01 GAA and an .897 save percentage.
If Wallstedt gets the start, it will mark his first meeting against the Golden Knights.
Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy said his team would need to battle hard against the Wild.
“They’re a good defensive team, so if you can be strong on pucks down low, get to the interior ice — you’re going to have to do that,” Cassidy said. “And we might run into another hot goalie. We did in Winnipeg the other night and finally broke through in the end. …
“If we can do that (Sunday) and bring the same offensive energy, we should be OK.”
–Field Level Media
