Bruins

Kirill Kaprizov’s overtime goal lifts Wild to 4-3 win over Bruins

Minnesota's Brock Faber celebrates the goal by teammate Kirill Kaprizov against Bruins goalie Linus Ullmark in overtime. AP Photo/Michael Dwyer

By KEN POWTAK, Associated Press

December 19, 2023

BOSTON (AP) — Kirill Kaprizov scored his second goal of the game with 2:06 left to play in overtime, lifting the Minnesota Wild to a 4-3 victory over the Boston Bruins on Tuesday night.

Boston captain Brad Marchand had scored with 66 seconds left in regulation, sending the Bruins to their fourth consecutive overtime game.

But Kaprizov finished off a 3-on-1 break for the winner.

Ryan Hartman and Kaprizov each scored a third-period goal for Minnesota before Marchand tied it.

Marcus Johansson also had a goal for the Wild and Marc-Andre Fleury made 40 saves. Hampered by injuries to three key players — forward Mats Zuccarello and top defensemen Jonas Brodin and Jared Spurgeon — Minnesota found a way to improve to 8-3 under coach John Hynes since Dean Evason was fired on Nov. 27.

David Pastrnak had two goals for the Bruins, who have taken at least a point in eight of their last nine games (5-1-3). Linus Ullmark stopped 27 shots and Pavel Zacha returned from missing three games with an injury to set up Pastrnak’s second score.

Hartman beat Ullmark with a wrister from the left circle less than two minutes after Kaprizov scored off a rebound that hit the left post, tying the game with 6:48 to play.

Marchand scored out of a scramble with the Bruins on a power play and the goalie pulled.

Ullmark stopped Matt Boldy on a clean breakaway with 2:50 to play in the OT.

With the score tied at 1 late in the opening period, Pastrnak snapped a shot into the net for his 19th goal with eight-tenths of a second left on the clock after Zacha slipped a pass through the slot to the left wing.

Bruins winger Jakub Lauko had a decisive victory in a fight against Connor Dewar four seconds after Minnesota moved ahead. When it was over, Lauko waved his arms and yelled “Let’s Go!” looking to get the crowd and his team fired up.

It seemed to work.

The Bruins tied it when Pastrnak took a cross-ice pass from John Beecher and slipped a wrister between Fleury’s pads.

Coming off a 4-3 loss in Pittsburgh a night earlier, the Wild jumped in front 1-0 on Johansson’s power-play goal 7:44 into the game.

The Wild’s Vinni Lettieri took a shot off the left ankle and had be helped off the ice to the dressing room in the third period.

Bruins top defenseman Charlie McAvoy returned to the lineup after missing four games with an injury.

UP NEXT

Wild: Host the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday.

Bruins: Play at the Winnipeg Jets on Friday, the first of three straight on the road.