Takeaways: Wild give up three leads, lose to Islanders in OT in return from road trip

The Wild’s return home from their longest road trip ever was also one for the record book.

Kirill Kaprizov passed Marian Gaborik for the second-most points in franchise history, but the accomplishment came in a 4-3 overtime loss to the Islanders on Saturday, Jan. 10, in the Wild’s first game at Grand Casino Arena in nearly three weeks.

After New York tied the Wild for a third time late in the second period, the Islanders secured their first — and the last — lead on Simon Holmstrom’s cut to the middle 1 minute, 32 seconds into 3-on-3 overtime, his backhander squeaking through goalie Filip Gustavsson’s pads for Holmstrom’s second goal of the game.

“I felt like we played well,” Quinn Hughes said. “Disappointing because you get your looks.”

Kaprizov scored in the second period for his 25th goal of the season and 438th point to take sole possession of second place on the team’s all-time list. He tied Gaborik with two assists in the 3-2 overtime victory at Seattle one game earlier. The superstar winger trails only Mikko Koivu, who is the Wild’s scoring leader at 709 points.

“It’s nice,” Kaprizov said. “Just try [not to] think about this a lot.”

Hughes assisted on every Wild goal, finishing one shy of matching the record he set for a Wild defenseman on the last trip with a four-assist game at Anaheim on Jan. 2.

Gustavsson had 23 stops, and New York’s Ilya Sorokin made 33.

“We had looks. We put the pressure on,” coach John Hynes said. “We had a strong offensive game. We just didn’t have the type of finish that we needed to win.”

The Wild were finally back in St. Paul after going 4-1-2 on a seven-game, 14-day road trip while Grand Casino Arena hosted the World Junior Championship, and they settled in quickly.

Only 2:51 into the first period, Jones circled the net before handing off to Hughes and then skating into the middle to deflect in a Brock Faber shot.

“You don’t have to do much when you’re playing with them, just go to the net and show a stick,” Jones said. “Fabes obviously threw it off my tape, so I didn’t have to do too much.”

“It would have been great to cap it off with a win,” Jones said. “But obviously super excited to get the first one.”

In a preview of how resilient they’d be all game, the Islanders responded, albeit on an own goal by the Wild; Jean-Gabriel was awarded the equalizer at 4:18 after a loose puck in front went in off Marcus Johansson’s stick.

The Wild finished the period ahead 2-1 after Hughes set up Boldy for a one-timer on a 5-on-3 power play, but New York answered back just 1:29 into the second when the Islanders’ Holmstrom made the Wild pay for a Ryan Hartman giveaway.

Kaprizov had a chance at the go-ahead goal when he deked to his backhand later in the period, but Sorokin got a piece of the shot.

But Sorokin couldn’t deny Kaprizov’s one-timer in tight at 8:26 off a centering pass from Daemon Hunt, the goal bumping Gaborik down to third in Wild all-time scoring.

This was Hughes’ 29th three-assist game to tie Borje Salming and Larry Murphy for the ninth most by a defenseman in NHL history. He and Jones were teammates with the Toronto Marlboros in youth hockey.

Hughes is the first Wild defenseman to have three three-assist games in a single season, and he has six overall this season for the second time in his career; he’s one of four defensemen in NHL history to post six three-assist games in multiple seasons.

Since 1995-96, only three other defensemen have recorded a three-assist game six times in a season.

“Quinn was skating really well, moving the puck well,” Hynes said. “He was an offensive threat all night. I thought when he was called upon to defend, he was strong in that area, too.”

Again, the Islanders caught up to the Wild, this time on a shorthanded goal by Casey Cizikas, who slid in a backhander with 26 seconds left in the second period.

The Wild were better in the third period, but Sorokin was unbeatable, and the Islanders finally surpassed the Wild on a net-driving goal by Holmstrom after the Wild lost possession in OT.

“We deserved better, for sure,” Hunt said. “Credit to [Sorokin]. He played really well. Third period, we were just all over them. Just couldn’t find the back of the net. We got a point. But it would have been nice to get two.”

Sorokin made 17 saves in the third period.

“He had [an] unbelievable game,” Kaprizov said of his friend Sorokin. “Good for him.”

The first game back after a long road trip is notoriously challenging, and the Wild didn’t disprove that trend.

“There’s not a ton you’re disappointed in,” Hynes said. “I was proud of the group for the way that they were ready to play tonight after a long trip. We got the win in Seattle, but I felt like the next test was to come out and play a hard game and be ready to go, and I thought we did that. Unfortunately, we didn’t get the two points.”