Kirill Kaprizov’s hat trick lifts Wild over Sharks 4-3

Kirill Kaprizov secured a hat trick, sealing it with the go-ahead goal at 3:59 remaining in the third period, propelling the Minnesota Wild to a 4-3 victory over the San Jose Sharks on Sunday evening in Saint Paul, Minn. This marked Kaprizov’s fifth career hat trick, with two accomplished in the last two weeks. Frederick Gaudreau also contributed a goal for Minnesota, breaking their three-game winless streak, while Matt Boldy notched a pair of assists.

San Jose’s Mikael Granlund, Nico Sturm, and Anthony Duclair each scored one goal, but the Sharks extended their struggles, falling to 0-6-1 in their past seven games.

In goal, Wild netminder Filip Gustavsson stopped 12 of 15 shots, improving his record to 17-15-3. On the other side, Sharks goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen made 28 saves out of 32 shots but dropped to a 6-20-2 record. Notably, Kahkonen faced the Wild for the first time since his trade to San Jose on March 21, 2022, along with a fifth-round draft pick, in exchange for defenseman Jacob Middleton.

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At the same time in a remarkable comeback against the Buffalo Sabres, Morgan Barron scored the decisive goal with 6:05 remaining in regulation, capping off Winnipeg’s four-goal third period.

Following a previous day’s performance where they scored five unanswered goals to secure a 5-3 win against Carolina, the Jets displayed their offensive prowess once again on Sunday. Barron’s goal, marking the first time Winnipeg took the lead, occurred as he swiftly maneuvered into the Sabres’ zone and delivered a wrist shot past Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (30 saves) just before the six-minute mark.

Winnipeg’s goaltender, Laurent Brossoit, made 17 saves, contributing to the team’s victory as they extended their successful run with nine wins in their last eleven games. JJ Peterka notched his 20th goal of the season, and Eric Robinson also found the net for Buffalo, which had previously won two consecutive games and five of its last six.