Kaprizov Runs the Night in St. Paul, Gauthier Ends It Late in Calgary

ST. PAUL, Minn.

Three games on a Friday night is a light slate, but nobody told the stars. Kirill Kaprizov touched every Minnesota goal, Cutter Gauthier stayed the hottest finisher in hockey, and Josh Norris picked the Sabres' Hockey Fights Cancer Night to remember where the net is. Three games, three clean stories — and the Western Conference lead changed hands in the process.

Wild 4, Sharks 1 — Kaprizov's Four-Point Night

Kirill Kaprizov scored his NHL-leading 16th goal and added three assists, factoring in all four Minnesota goals in a 4-1 win over the San Jose Sharks at Grand Casino Arena. According to NHL.com, Kaprizov opened the scoring on a 5-on-3 power play at 7:55 of the first period, one-timing a Quinn Hughes feed through Yaroslav Askarov. Reuters reported Kaprizov now has 13 points — five goals and eight assists — during a seven-game point streak.

San Jose's only answer came from Macklin Celebrini, who tied it 1-1 at 12:11 of the second period off a Dmitry Orlov pass. It lasted barely two minutes. Maxim Shabanov redirected a Kaprizov centering pass on the power play at 14:15 for the game-winner, Hughes made it 3-1 at 6:54 of the third, and Zach Bogosian's first goal of the season closed it at 13:58 — Kaprizov picking up the assist on that one too. Hughes finished with a goal and two assists, and Jesper Wallstedt made 23 saves. The Wild (12-3-3) have won three straight, are 6-0-1 in their past seven and 5-0-1 at home, and their 27 points sit atop the Western Conference. The Sharks have lost four straight, scoring two or fewer in each — a young team learning how thin the margin is when the other side has the best player on the ice. Minnesota is 8-0-3 in its last 11 against San Jose, per the Associated Press.

Sabres 5, Blue Jackets 2 — Norris Breaks Out

Josh Norris ended a six-game goal drought with two goals and Owen Power had three assists as Buffalo beat Columbus 5-2 at KeyBank Center. Jack Quinn opened the scoring at 6:50, Kent Johnson tied it with his team-leading eighth at 16:00, and then Norris went to work — restoring the lead at 18:10 of the first, cutting to the slot at 4-on-4 and beating Jet Greaves five-hole, according to NHL.com.

The second period was the rout. Rasmus Dahlin scored at 4:30, Norris tucked a backhand in at 9:46 after Zach Benson found him uncovered in front, and Josh Doan made it 5-1 just 67 seconds later. Zach Werenski's power-play goal at 18:21 of the third was consolation. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 24 saves on Hockey Fights Cancer Night in Buffalo, and the Sabres (8-5-3) outshot Columbus 37-26 while winning for the fourth time in five games. Reuters noted the outburst mattered for a team that had managed just 15 goals in its previous seven home games. Columbus (7-8-0) answered its earlier 6-3 win over Buffalo with a thud.

Ducks 5, Flames 3 — Gauthier, Again, at 18:26

The night's best finish came last. Anaheim trailed 3-2 entering the third period in Calgary and left with a 5-3 win, its fourth straight, after Leo Carlsson tied it on the power play 55 seconds into the third and Cutter Gauthier one-timed a Mikael Granlund pass with 1:34 remaining. Nikita Nesterenko's empty-netter sealed it. Gauthier has scored 10 of his 12 goals this season during a five-game streak, according to NHL.com, and Sportsnet reported it was his 12th of the season.

The bigger number belongs to the team: the Associated Press reported Anaheim is the first team since the 1991-92 Pittsburgh Penguins to score at least five goals in seven consecutive games. Jeff Malott and Tristan Luneau also scored, Granlund and Beckett Sennecke each had two assists, and Ville Husso stopped all 10 shots he faced in relief after Lukas Dostal was pulled following the first period. Joel Farabee, William Stromgren and Joel Hanley scored for Calgary (7-9-1), whose five-game home winning streak ended, and Dustin Wolf made 24 saves. The Ducks (9-7-1) finished a perfect three-game road trip 5-1-1 in their past seven.

Minnesota owns the West's top spot tonight because its best player is playing like the league's best player — the full scoring picture lives in the Stats Hub. Anaheim's seven-game run of five-goal nights is the kind of stat that sounds made up until you check who did it last: Mario Lemieux's Penguins. And Buffalo, quietly 4-1-0 in its last five, got the version of Josh Norris it traded for. The Golden Knights, idle Friday after Thursday's 2-1 win in Detroit, head to Buffalo on Sunday — where Norris and the Sabres will be waiting.