ANAHEIM, Calif. — The Minnesota Wild showcased an impressive performance against the Anaheim Ducks, securing a 5-1 victory on Friday night, marking their fifth consecutive win—a new season high.
Marco Rossi stood out with two goals and an assist, while Kirill Kaprizov contributed with a goal and two assists. Matt Boldy also made his mark with a goal and two assists, and Yakov Trenin sealed the score with an empty-net goal. Meanwhile, Filip Gustavsson was solid in the net, stopping 26 shots for the Wild.
For the Ducks, Brock McGinn notched a goal, and despite the team’s missing key players—Trevor Zegras (lower body injury) and Leo Carlsson (upper body injury)—John Gibson put forth a commendable effort with 28 saves.
Rossi opened the scoring early in the second period with a power-play goal, shooting from near the right post at 4:22. Just under four minutes later, he netted his second goal of the match and ninth of the season, extending the lead to 2-0.
Boldy followed soon after, only three minutes later, converting a pass from Rossi. Eventually, in the early moments of the third period, Kaprizov capitalized on a loose puck in front of the Ducks’ net, scoring his team-leading 17th goal to push the lead to 4-0. Just under three minutes left in the game, McGinn managed to break through, scoring from the Ducks to avoid a shutout.
**Key Takeaways**
For the Wild, this win strengthens their impressive record to 7-0-2 in their last nine away games. Kaprizov is on fire, riding a 13-game points streak during road matches. As for the Ducks, they made a noteworthy trade by acquiring defenseman Jacob Trouba from the New York Rangers; in related news, defenseman Cam Fowler tied Corey Perry for second-most games played in franchise history at 988.
**Key Moment**
Rossi’s second goal not only marked his first multi-goal game of the season but also came at a pivotal moment, taking advantage of a loose puck that slipped past Gibson, who inadvertently kicked it into the net.
**Noteworthy Stats**
The Wild lead the NHL for scoring the first goal in a game, achieving this for the 17th time this season, while the Ducks follow closely behind at 16.
**Next Matches**
Next on the agenda, the Wild will head to Los Angeles for their next match on Saturday, while the Ducks are set to travel to Montreal on Monday, starting a four-game road trip.
