Wild vs. Panthers: Kirill Kaprizov's Hat Trick Spoils Florida's Home Opener

Florida opened its season with four straight road games, every one of them somebody else's home opener. When the Panthers finally got their own party on Saturday, Minnesota needed 53 seconds to ruin the vibe. Matt Boldy walked into the zone with space while the Panthers were changing and beat Jacob Markstrom from the top of the slot. Kirill Kaprizov did the rest.

Kaprizov scored three goals and added an assist, Jesper Wallstedt made 29 saves, and the Minnesota Wild beat the Florida Panthers 4-1 on Saturday night at Amerant Bank Arena, spoiling Florida's home opener in the process. The night belonged almost entirely to the visitors.

Two Goals Before the Building Settled In

If the Panthers had a game plan, it got shredded inside the first period. Boldy's goal, his first of the season, came off assists from Jared Spurgeon and Kaprizov. Michael McCarron and Bokondji Imama then dropped the gloves at 2:53.

It did not slow Minnesota down. Dmitry Kulikov went to the box for holding at 5:52, and 26 seconds later Kaprizov leaned into a one-timer from the right circle off a feed from Maxim Shabanov, with Quinn Hughes adding the secondary assist. That made it 2-0 at 6:18, and Florida was chasing barely six minutes in.

"It was 2-0 before you could blink, so we were chasing the game one shift in basically," Matthew Tkachuk said, per the NHL's recap. "That is not the recipe you want for success."

Tkachuk Pokes the Bear, Kaprizov Answers

Florida finally broke through 2:18 into the second when Tkachuk jammed home his own rebound at the side of the net. It was his third of the season, which the AP noted leads the team, and Florida was back within one.

The moment lasted 2:42. At 5:00 of the second, Boldy slid a cross-ice pass to Kaprizov in the right circle, and Kaprizov snapped it past Markstrom to restore the two-goal cushion. Joel Eriksson Ek picked up the other assist.

That is the turning point of this game in a nutshell. Florida had a pulse, a crowd and a chance to make it a coin flip. Minnesota answered almost immediately, and the Panthers never got that close again. Wallstedt took it from there, turning aside everything else, including all five Florida power plays.

The third period got chippy. Boldy, Eriksson Ek and Matthew and Brady Tkachuk all went to the box at 11:42, and Rieger Lorenz, playing in his NHL debut, and Garnet Hathaway each drew misconducts with 27 seconds left. By then, Kaprizov had already put the bow on it, scoring into an empty net with 1:04 to go for his sixth goal of the season and his hat trick.

Kaprizov Keeps Climbing the Wild Record Book

Kaprizov finished with 3 goals and an assist in 20:11, and the history attached to this one is stacking up. Per the NHL's game notes, it was his seventh career hat trick, two behind Marian Gaborik (nine) for the most in Wild history. It was also his fifth four-point game, tying Mats Zuccarello and Boldy for second most in Minnesota history behind Gaborik (seven). The AP added a fun one: the Wild are now 42-5-2 all-time when Kaprizov has at least three points, and his 49 such games are by far the most in franchise history.

He kept the credit pointed elsewhere. "The boys played a great game," Kaprizov said.

Boldy had a goal, an assist and the cross-ice feed that killed Florida's best stretch. He also gave the opponent its due. "That's an unbelievable team over there," Boldy said. "You want to measure yourself against them."

Wallstedt stopped 29 of 30 shots. The AP notes he has been in net for all five of Minnesota's games, going 3-1-1 with a .936 save percentage and a 1.78 goals-against average.

Eriksson Ek won 15 of 19 faceoffs as the Wild dominated the dot 43-25, and Hughes logged 25:35 on the back end.

For Florida, Tkachuk scored and threw three hits in 18:33, and Markstrom made 25 saves on 28 shots. Defenseman Aaron Ekblad played his 807th game with the Panthers, breaking a tie with captain Aleksander Barkov for the most in franchise history. Florida also lost Eetu Luostarinen midway through the third after he took a shot off the leg; coach Paul Maurice said he would be evaluated Sunday.

Stats That Matter

• 0-for-5: Florida's power play. The Panthers are 1-for-28 on the season, per the AP.
• 43-25: Minnesota's faceoff edge, good for 63.2 percent.
• 30-29: Florida's slight shot advantage. Volume was not the issue; quality was.
• 8:40: The total time Florida has led through five games, according to the AP.
• 9: Goals the Panthers have scored through five games.

What It Means

Minnesota moves to 3-1-1 and snaps a two-game skid that included an overtime loss at Buffalo and a 3-2 loss at Tampa Bay on Thursday. Coach John Hynes called it his team's most complete game of the season. "We wanted to play more connected, at a much more competitive level," he said. "We have a group of really competitive players, and we got to that tonight." The Wild host Vegas on Monday night.

Florida falls to 2-1-2. Its season-opening four-game point streak is over, and so is a seven-game winning streak in home openers, per the NHL. The AP notes the Panthers are playing without Barkov and Brad Marchand, and the offense shows it. Maurice did not dress it up. "We were just slower than they were," he said. "Being back on your heels early in your home opener puts attention on your game." The Panthers visit Buffalo on Monday afternoon.

Closing Take

Home openers are supposed to feel like a movie premiere. This one felt more like Kaprizov showed up to someone else's red carpet and walked off with the best reviews. Florida has the pedigree, and Boldy said as much, but a power play stuck at 1-for-28 is a problem no amount of pedigree can hide. The Panthers need goals. Kaprizov, apparently, has plenty to spare.

Stats from the official box score via ESPN. Game details from the Associated Press; postgame quotes and game notes as reported by NHL.com.