ST. PAUL, Minn. — Kirill Kaprizov netted a crucial goal with just 23.4 seconds remaining in overtime, allowing the Minnesota Wild to come from behind and defeat the Vancouver Canucks 3-2 on Tuesday evening. This win marks the Wild’s sixth triumph in their last eight games.

Frederick Gaudreau and Jake Middleton also contributed to Minnesota’s scoring, while goaltender Filip Gustavsson delivered a solid performance, making 30 saves throughout the match. With this victory, the Wild’s record now stands at 17-4-4, earning them the top spot in the NHL with 38 points.

The Canucks had a golden opportunity to seal the game when Brock Boeser was part of a two-on-none breakaway, but he narrowly missed the right post. A fortunate bounce off the boards found Marco Rossi, who then advanced into the Canucks’ zone and assisted Kaprizov, allowing him to execute a powerful one-timer that counted as his 16th goal of the season and his ninth career game-winning goal in overtime.

Vancouver’s Quinn Hughes and Jake DeBrusk each found the net, with Elias Pettersson registering two assists for the Canucks. Meanwhile, Kevin Lankinen recorded 26 saves but suffered his first loss in 11 outings on the road.

DeBrusk put the Canucks ahead with a goal 41 seconds before the end of the second period, but Middleton answered quickly in the third, tying the game less than two minutes in.

In terms of key takeaways, Hughes scored first for Vancouver and now boasts two goals and eight assists in his last five games, marking the first time a defenseman scored a power-play goal for the Canucks this season. For Minnesota, this game marked their first win in six attempts when trailing after two periods, and they improved their record to 3-4 in games that go into overtime.

A pivotal moment in overtime occurred when Lankinen stopped Joel Eriksson Ek on a breakaway within the first 30 seconds, followed closely by Gustavsson’s spectacular save against Erik Brannstrom just minutes later.

In terms of individual achievements, DeBrusk currently leads the Canucks with 11 goals, with eight of those coming in his last six games, including a hat trick performance against Detroit on Sunday.

Looking ahead, the Canucks will kick off a six-game homestand this Friday against the Columbus Blue Jackets, while the Wild are set to begin a three-game road trip on the same night in Anaheim.