Kaprizov has goal, assist, Wild shut out Canadiens

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Kirill Kaprizov had a goal and an assist, and Filip Gustavsson made 19 saves for the Minnesota Wild in a 3-0 win against the Montreal Canadiens at Xcel Energy Center on Thursday.

The shutout was Gustavsson’s first of the season and seventh in the NHL.

“No 2-on-1s or 3-on-2s that I can think of that were really clear,” Gustavsson said. “They had one chance, their second shot to the game, on the glove side there. That was maybe their best chance all game. We played really solid. We took some penalties, killed them off, and played good."

Matt Boldy and Marco Rossi scored for the Wild (11-2-3), who have won six of their past eight games.

“I thought the effort was really good,” Minnesota coach John Hynes said. “I thought we had a really good start to the game as well. Both teams looked like they were ready to play. … We defended hard when we had to. I thought the third period we regathered ourselves with our puck management.”

Sam Montembeault made 25 saves for the Canadiens (5-10-2), who have lost seven of eight.

“I felt we were very patient and there was not much room for either team,” Montreal coach Martin St. Louis said. “It wasn't an offensive, it wasn't a track meet. Both teams were playing tight defensively and, to me, it's a really good sign of where we're heading with our club.”

Boldy gave the Wild a 1-0 lead at 12:43 of the second period with his 10th goal of the season. Kaprizov found Marcus Johansson in the low slot, and he redirected the puck to Boldy for a one-timer off the crossbar and in.

“I didn't do much there,” Boldy said. “So, it was pretty good just to catch it and shoot it in the net.”

Canadiens defenseman Jayden Struble was assessed a double minor for high-sticking on Wild defenseman Jared Spurgeon at 8:22 of the third period.

Rossi then made it 2-0 at 12:19 with three seconds left on the power play, scoring with a wrist shot through traffic after faking a shot and moving inside.

“The special teams were huge,” Rossi said. “The PK was really strong today (3-for-3), and (on) the power play we had a good strong goal.”

With Montembeault pulled for the extra attacker, Kaprizov scored into an empty net at 19:40 for the 3-0 final.

“I think it was a good effort,” Montreal defenseman Mike Matheson said. “Against teams like that, it doesn't take a lot for them to be able to separate. So, I think for the most part, we did a good job of not giving them a lot. And I think the difference, if you look back at the chances, I think we had some really good chances to score and we didn't score ours and they scored theirs.”

NOTES: Minnesota forwards Mats Zuccarello and Joel Eriksson Ek each left during the first period with a lower-body injury. Zuccarello took a shot from Brock Faber to the stomach at 12:52. There was no update on either player. … Boldy has eight goals in his past 11 games.