Kirill Kaprizov scored a power-play goal 21 seconds into overtime to lift the Minnesota Wild to a 2-1 victory over the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday at Centre Bell.
Following two scoreless periods, Minnesota opened the scoring at 2:53 of the third period. Bobby Brink gathered the puck and scored unassisted on a snap shot for his second goal of the season to give the Wild a 1-0 advantage.
Montreal responded late in the frame to force extra time. Nick Suzuki tied the score at 1-1 at 18:22 of the third period, beating the goaltender on a snap shot with assists credited to Cole Caufield and Lane Hutson. In overtime, Kaprizov converted a slap shot for his 17th goal of the season off passes from Matt Boldy and Quinn Hughes to end the game.
Jesper Wallstedt earned the win in net for the Wild by stopping 27 of 28 shots. For the Canadiens, Jacob Fowler turned aside 22 of 24 shots in the overtime loss. Minnesota finished 1-for-3 on the power play, while Montreal went 0-for-2 with the man advantage.
With the win, the Wild moved their regular-season record to 13-3-4. The Canadiens picked up one point to move to 11-3-4 on the year. This contest was the first meeting between the teams this season, giving Minnesota a 1-0 edge in the series.
Both teams return to the ice on Thursday. The Wild visit the Toronto Maple Leafs, while the Canadiens visit the Boston Bruins.
