NHL Roundup: Kirill Kaprizov makes history as first player to reach 10 goals in 2026/27

Kirill Kaprizov continued his outstanding start to the 2026/27 NHL season, becoming the first player to reach 10 goals after helping the Minnesota Wild secure a 2-1 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Sunday.

The Russian forward delivered the decisive moment on the power play early in the second period, extending his remarkable scoring run and helping Minnesota improve its record to 6-2-1. Elsewhere, the Calgary Flames edged the Carolina Hurricanes 3-2 in a closely contested matchup.

Minnesota Wild 2-1 Columbus Blue Jackets

The Wild and Blue Jackets struggled to find a breakthrough during the opening stages, despite opportunities on the power play for both sides.

Minnesota failed to take advantage of a five-on-three situation after Columbus players Conor Garland and Charlie Coyle were sent to the penalty box for minor infractions. The Blue Jackets subsequently had their own opportunity when Minnesota defenceman Zach Bogosian received a two-minute penalty, but they were unable to convert.

The deadlock was finally broken with less than two minutes remaining in the first period. Minnesota forward Danila Yurov found the back of the net to give the Wild a 1-0 lead.

Columbus responded almost immediately, however, as Adam Fantilli scored his second goal of the season to restore parity at 1-1. It was his first goal since the opening game of the campaign.

Kaprizov then took centre stage early in the second period. With Minnesota awarded a power play less than two minutes after the restart, the Wild superstar capitalised on the opportunity to score his 10th goal of the season and put his team ahead 2-1.

That goal ultimately proved decisive, as Minnesota controlled much of the remainder of the contest and limited Columbus to just 14 shots on goal.

The Wild finished with a commanding 34-14 advantage in shots, underlining their superiority throughout the game.

The victory lifted Minnesota to a 6-2-1 record, while Columbus slipped to 3-4-0 and continued to struggle near the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings.

Calgary Flames 3-2 Carolina Hurricanes

The Calgary Flames claimed a hard-fought 3-2 win over the Carolina Hurricanes, with Yegor Sharangovich scoring the decisive goal late in the third period.

Both teams struggled to make the most of their power-play opportunities in the opening period, leaving the game scoreless heading into the second.

Carolina eventually broke through six minutes into the middle frame. Jesperi Kotkaniemi scored his second goal of the campaign to give the Hurricanes a 1-0 lead, providing a reward for their growing pressure.

Calgary initially failed to capitalise on another power-play opportunity, but the Flames finally found their breakthrough late in the period.

With less than a minute remaining before the second intermission, Morgan Frost scored a power-play goal to level the contest at 1-1.

The Hurricanes responded dramatically just four seconds before the end of the period. Defenceman Jalen Chatfield found the net for his first goal of the season, restoring Carolina’s advantage at 2-1 heading into the final 20 minutes.

Calgary continued to search for an equaliser, and its persistence eventually paid off. After the teams failed to score during an earlier power-play opportunity in the third period, Sharangovich struck with fewer than five minutes remaining to put the Flames ahead 3-2.

His late goal proved to be the winner, securing an important victory for Calgary.

Both teams generated plenty of offensive action, combining for 70 shots on goal. Calgary goaltender Devin Cooley played a crucial role in the result, finishing with 32 saves to record his first performance of the season with at least 30 stops.

The result improved Calgary’s record to 2-6-0, while Carolina dropped to 7-2-1 despite a competitive performance.

Kaprizov Leads the Headlines as Calgary Snatches Late Win

Kaprizov’s milestone goal was the standout moment of Sunday’s action, with the Minnesota forward becoming the first player to reach double figures in goals during the 2026/27 campaign.

The Wild’s disciplined defensive performance ensured that his strike was enough to secure victory over Columbus, while Calgary demonstrated resilience by recovering from a late second-period setback to defeat Carolina.

With the NHL season continuing to take shape, both results provided important talking points, from Kaprizov’s extraordinary scoring form to the Flames’ determination to find a winning result.