Hockey
Boldy nets a hat trick as the Wild beat the Maple Leafs 5-2 in Toronto
Matt Boldy delivered a historic night at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto. On Thursday night, the Minnesota Wild winger recorded his second hat trick of the season and the sixth of his career in a 5-2 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs. His three goals took him to 10 goals and 11 assists in 21 games this season, and he passed two franchise milestones along the way. The Wild, who have not lost in regulation since October 22, now have 32 points and share first place in the overall NHL standings with the Carolina Hurricanes. Toronto, meanwhile, lost a fifth straight game, all in regulation.
A winner born from a mix-up
Toronto had turned the game around in the second period. Boldy opened the scoring late in the first, but Auston Matthews and Zack MacEwen put the Maple Leafs ahead 2-1. Boldy tied it 2-2 on the power play at 9:55 of the second, then completed his hat trick at 3:59 of the third: after William Nylander and defenceman Oliver Ekman-Larsson got their wires crossed on the rush, he found himself alone in the slot and beat Anthony Stolarz glove side off a drop pass from Ryan Hartman. Michael McCarron also scored for Minnesota, and Danila Yurov sealed the 5-2 final into an empty net at 19:03. Jesper Wallstedt made 26 saves for the Wild, while Stolarz stopped 21 shots.
Milestones keep coming
Boldy's night goes into the Wild record books. The 25-year-old became the fastest player in franchise history to record multiple hat tricks in a single season, doing it in just 21 games. He now ranks third in club history for career hat tricks, behind Marian Gaborik (9) and Kirill Kaprizov (7). His first goal of the night, the 348th point of his career, moved him past Pierre-Marc Bouchard into ninth place on Minnesota's all-time scoring list. Later, his 40th career power-play goal moved him past Brian Rolston into seventh in franchise history. Minnesota already has three hat tricks this season, tied for second-most in the NHL.
Kaprizov and the Minnesota machine
Boldy did not shine alone. Kirill Kaprizov had three assists and extended his point streak to 10 games, with six goals and 12 assists over that stretch. The Russian has 17 goals and 18 assists for 35 points in 21 games this season. The line of Boldy, Joel Eriksson Ek and Kaprizov, which entered the game with a 16-0 edge in goals, remains the most dangerous line in the NHL. Eriksson Ek, however, left the game with 11:45 remaining in the second period after colliding with defenceman Jake McCabe. The Wild have now earned points in 10 straight games (8-0-2) and won seven straight on the road. Toronto, which has won just one of its past eight games (1-7-0), is closing a disastrous homestand with a fifth straight defeat.