The Russian forward struck on the power play in the second period to break a 1-1 deadlock, extending his impressive start to the campaign and helping Minnesota secure its fourth win in five games.
Kaprizov’s milestone highlighted an eventful night in the NHL, which also saw the Calgary Flames defeat the Carolina Hurricanes 3-2.
Kaprizov leads Minnesota past Columbus
The Wild opened the scoring late in the first period through Danila Yurov, who finished a two-on-one opportunity after receiving a pass from Yakov Trenin.
Columbus responded just 61 seconds later when Adam Fantilli found the net to level the contest at 1-1.
Minnesota regained the lead early in the second period. With the Wild on the power play, Kaprizov beat goaltender Cam Talbot with a sharp-angled shot to register his league-leading 10th goal of the season.
The goal proved decisive as the Wild protected their advantage for the remainder of the game.
Minnesota outshot Columbus 34-14, including limiting the visitors to just seven shots over the final two periods. Goaltender Jesper Wallstedt made 13 saves, while Talbot stopped 32 shots for the Blue Jackets.
The victory lifted Minnesota’s record to 6-2-1 and kept the team unbeaten at home after four games. Columbus fell to 3-4-0.
Kaprizov joins an elite group
Kaprizov reached double figures in just nine games, joining an exclusive group of active NHL players who have scored 10 goals within their first nine games of a season.
The group includes Auston Matthews, Alex Ovechkin, David Pastrnak, Nikita Kucherov and Sidney Crosby.
Kaprizov also extended his point streak to six games, recording 12 points — seven goals and five assists — during that run.
His early-season form has made him one of the league’s leading attacking threats as Minnesota looks to build on its recent progress.
Calgary Flames defeat Carolina Hurricanes
The Calgary Flames claimed a 3-2 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes after a closely contested encounter that featured three second-period goals and a decisive late strike.
Carolina took the lead through Jesperi Kotkaniemi, who scored his second goal of the season in the second period.
Calgary responded through Morgan Frost, who converted a power-play opportunity to level the score. Jalen Chatfield then put Carolina back in front with just four seconds remaining in the period.
The Flames continued to press in the third period, and Yegor Sharangovich delivered the decisive goal with less than five minutes remaining to complete the comeback.
Calgary goaltender Devin Cooley made 32 saves, recording his first 30-save performance of the season. The teams combined for 70 shots on goal.
The result improved Calgary’s record to 2-6-0, while Carolina dropped to 7-2-1.
NHL results: Sunday, 18 October
• Minnesota Wild 2-1 Columbus Blue Jackets: Kirill Kaprizov scored the winning goal and became the first player to reach 10 goals this season.
• Calgary Flames 3-2 Carolina Hurricanes: Yegor Sharangovich scored late in the third period to secure Calgary’s victory.
Kaprizov’s milestone was the standout individual achievement of the night, while Calgary’s late winner provided one of the evening’s most competitive finishes.