Kirill Kaprizov scores twice as Wild beat Canadiens again; another forward injured

Kirill Kaprizov was the goal scorer, but it was Marco Rossi who was singled out in the Wild's on-ice celebration.

After a quiet eight games, Rossi finally picked up his first NHL point when he batted the puck down to the ice for Kaprizov to bury behind Canadiens goalie Jake Allen — but not before Montreal initiated a video review to check if Rossi used a high stick to set up the goal.

"I was just praying," the rookie said.

He had nothing to worry about: Rossi's stick didn't connect with the puck above his shoulder height, and the play was one of many organized by the Wild's youth that helped the team run away 4-1 on Tuesday in front of an announced crowd of 16,385 at Xcel Energy Center for their fifth victory over the past seven games and second in a week vs. Montreal.

"We're lucky as an organization," goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury said. "We've got good depth. So, guys coming up from Iowa are playing well and helping us out."

Kaprizov is up to a team-high eight goals after scoring twice, Mason Shaw tallied his second in as many appearances and Fleury continued his resurgence with 34 saves to extend his 5-0-1 run.

Add in two points apiece by Joel Eriksson Ek and Matt Boldy, and the Wild passed their first game-long test without injured forwards Marcus Foligno, Jordan Greenway and Ryan Hartman.

The Wild went down another forward when Brandon Duhaime left early because of an upper-body injury.

Coach Dean Evason said he didn't know how long Duhaime would be out, "but it's not positive."

Those holes in the lineup have created more opportunity for the Wild's up-and-comers, and they didn't shrink under the spotlight when the team descended on St. Paul for a brief homestand. The under-25 crowd racked up two goals and four assists.

"The list is pretty long right now of key contributors that are out of the lineup," Shaw said. "I think myself and other guys are trying to step up and I thought we did a good job."

Just 1 minute, 9 seconds into the second period, Shaw whacked in a rebound off an Eriksson Ek shot with his backhand for his third point in two games. Shaw, a fourth-round pick by the Wild in 2017, was one of the final cuts at training camp but has been with the team ever since Greenway was injured Oct. 20.

Only 2:20 after Shaw's goal, Kaprizov converted on the power play with a slick deflection off a Boldy pass. Eriksson Ek also assisted on the goal for his third multipoint game of the season; the power play finished 1-for-4.

Then with 5:05 to go in the second, Kaprizov and Rossi teamed up for Rossi's milestone point.

"As a forward, of course it's kind of frustrating when you don't have points," said Rossi, the ninth overall selection in 2020. "But for me, it was important to play the right way and just continue like that because I knew it's gonna come sooner or later.

"I'm really glad to have that first point."

In the third, the Canadiens' Nick Suzuki spoiled Fleury's shutout bid with a one-timer on the Montreal power play (1-for-2) at 13:30 before Boldy wired the puck into an empty net with 3:08 to go. Allen totaled 27 saves. He was also in net for the 3-1 loss to the Wild last Tuesday in Montreal.

As for Rossi, although he hasn't been a lightning rod for offense after making the team out of camp, the Wild have noticed progress.

After only two shot attempts in his first three games, Rossi had six on the recent five-game road trip and another three on Tuesday.

"The whole team is very ecstatic for him," Shaw said, "and I'm sure the floodgates are going to open for him."