MINNEAPOLIS — The Wild got the road trip pointed back in the right direction Saturday, skating out of Climate Pledge Arena with a 5-1 win over the Seattle Kraken behind two goals from Blake Coleman and a sharp, controlled team effort.
Kirill Kaprizov and Joel Eriksson Ek each supplied a goal and an assist for Minnesota (7-3-2), which had opened its five-game swing with an 0-1-1 mark. Jesper Wallstedt stopped 23 shots as the Wild limited Seattle’s ability to build sustained pressure and took over during a four-goal second period.
“We wanted to come into the game determined,” Minnesota coach John Hynes said. “I thought we played disciplined, had good details, and did that through the whole lineup. It was good to get back in the win column.”
Seattle (7-4-1) had arrived after consecutive wins and points in six of seven games, but Berkly Catton’s goal was its only breakthrough. Joey Daccord made 31 saves in the loss.
Kaprizov needed only 26 seconds to put Minnesota ahead. He broke free through the left circle, got around defenseman Vince Dunn and moved across the crease before lifting a backhand into the net. The goal gave Kaprizov 12 this season, tying Edmonton’s Leon Draisaitl for the League lead.
Dunn said Seattle needed better awareness behind its aggressive look. “It was a very untraditional forecheck,” he said. “I know they’re going to take off, and I need to be more aware and be that safety for our guys.”
Catton pulled Seattle even at 10:13 of the first, just one second after a Kraken power play expired. Brandon Montour and Kaapo Kakko worked the puck through the offensive zone before Kakko found Catton arriving in scoring position. Catton’s wrist shot caught Wallstedt’s shoulder, clipped the post and dropped in.
“There might be some space low and near the net,” Kakko said of the play with Montour. “That’s where I am on the power play. It was a nice pass, and I knew Berkly was coming down, so I tried to find him.”
Wild take over in the second
Coleman restored the lead 2:11 into the middle frame, just 11 seconds after stepping out of the penalty box. Seattle was changing when Matt Kiersted spotted Coleman with a long pass, sending him in alone. Coleman snapped his finish off the right post and behind Daccord.
“Heads-up play by Kiers,” Coleman said. “It was nice to get a bounce there. I thought the team played really well, especially in the second and third.”
Olli Maatta made it 3-1 at 11:33, firing a wrist shot from the point through traffic and past Daccord’s glove. Eriksson Ek followed 1:27 later, beating everyone to a Matt Boldy rebound. He did not get all of his first attempt, but the puck bounced over Daccord and drifted across the line.
Hynes liked the way his club settled into the game after the opening period. “We managed pucks better in the second and got to our game more, particularly in the offensive zone,” he said.
Seattle coach Lane Lambert pointed to Eriksson Ek’s goal as the sequence that took the air out of the Kraken bench. “The fourth goal really hurt,” Lambert said. “It was a short rebound, especially after Joey had played very well on the penalty kill. At the end of the day, we have to generate more offensively.”
Coleman completed the scoring into an empty net at 16:24 of the third. He said his line with Michael McCarron and Bobby Brink found a better rhythm as the night went on.
“We had some good looks as a line,” Coleman said. “Michael played really well, Bobby had good jump. We’re trying to build chemistry, get more chances, and overall we did a good job in the offensive zone.”
Lambert credited Minnesota for closing off lanes once it had the lead. “They played a solid team game,” he said. “They made sure they had people back. It was tough to penetrate, and we needed to win more battles. Give them credit — they played sound hockey.”
Catton extended his point streak to four games, with one goal and four assists over that stretch. An assist from Hughes moved him to 499 career points, and he has recorded a point in 10 of Minnesota’s 12 games this season.
The Wild have now won six straight meetings with Seattle and own points in seven consecutive games against the Kraken, going 6-0-1 since Oct. 12, 2024. Seattle also placed forward Jared McCann on injured reserve Saturday with a lower-body injury; Lambert said the expected absence would be “a bit.”
