The Minnesota Wild made Kirill Kaprizov the highest-paid player in NHL history before the season began. Kaprizov has proven to be an invaluable part of the franchise since joining. On Friday night against the New York Islanders, the Wild star showed the sort of skill that led him to receive a $136 million guarantee.
Kaprizov entered the offensive zone during a rush in the third period. The Wild star went toward the slot before dishing a beautiful between-the-legs pass. Mats Zuccarello retrieved the puck, and immediately sent it back to Kaprizov. Minnesota's star man ripped a shot and did not miss his mark, giving the team a 5-2 lead.
When Mats Zuccarello and Kirill Kaprizov are on the ice, you may just see a highlight reel goal like this 🤩
NHL x @MassMutual pic.twitter.com/AMfU4EY1eI
— NHL (@NHL) November 8, 2025
This score would hold for the rest of the game. Minnesota has won three of its last four games. They improved to 6-7-1 on the year, and are only three points back of the Winnipeg Jets for second place in the Central Division.
Wild's Kirill Kaprizov credits Mats Zuccarello after Islanders win
Kaprizov is the central focus for this team on offense. However, Zuccarello is an important piece to this puzzle. Minnesota did not have him on the ice for the first 15 games of this season. Kaprizov was very happy to have him back on the ice against the Islanders.
“He’s had so many times like this that what he needs to do to come back,” Kaprizov said, via NHL.com. “He’s smart and can read the game. We just tried to help him today. He’s a smart player, and everyone knows this. It’s easy to play with him and hard to play against him.”
Minnesota had everything working against the Islanders on Friday. They were able to limit the Islanders throughout the game. And they made the most of their chances when they presented themselves. Minnesota will look to make it four wins in five games on November 9th against the Calgary Flames.
