Wild’s Kirill Kaprizov sets new franchise record in big win vs. Lightning

The Minnesota Wild took a 5-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday night. It was the second victory in four games coming out of the Olympic break for the Wild, and in the game, some history was made. With an empty net goal late in the third period, Kirill Kaprizov became the all-time franchise leader in goals scored, as confirmed by a post from the team on X, formerly Twitter.

KIRILL

Kirill Kaprizov now has the most goals in @mnwild franchise history! pic.twitter.com/JofDIoFsE5

— NHL (@NHL) March 4, 2026

Kaprizov, who joined the franchise in the 2020-21 season, has scored 220 goals as a member of the Minnesota Wild. That put his goal total past that of Marian Gaborik, who played with the Wild from 2000-01 through 2008-09, and scored 219 goals with the franchise. After the contest, Kaprizov spoke to the media about the moment, according to Jessi Pierce of NHL.com.

“It’s good, you know, but you always want it more and just don’t think about this too much,” Kaprizov said. “It feels good because everyone shake and congrats and stuff like that, but now it’s done and just need to keep going.”

The Russian forward was the 135th overall selection of the Wild in the 2015 NHL Draft. He would stay in the KHL, though, becoming a five-time all-star, winning the Golden Stick as the MVP, and leading CSKA Moscow to a Gagarin Cup in 2019 before joining the NHL ranks.

He also has multiple franchise records with the Wild, including goals and points by a rookie, which helped him earn the Calder Memorial Trophy in 2021. Kaprizov also holds the Wild record for points in a season and goals in a season.

His record for goals in a season is 47, which he scored in 2021-22, and could make a run at this year. The franchise record holder has found the back of the net 35 times this year, tied for second in the NHL. Combined with his 40 assists, his 75 points are good for sixth in the league.

Meanwhile, the Wild are 36-16-10 on the season, which is good for third in the Central Division. They return to the ice on Friday night, visiting the Vegas Golden Knights.

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