The Minnesota Wild are officially playoff bound. Back in mid-March, their Central division rivals, the Colorado Avalanche and Dallas Stars, clinched their spots in the playoffs. The Wild had their ups and downs since, but they finally secured their spot.
On Friday, the Wild defeated the Vancouver Canucks 5-2. In the game, the Wild saw forward Matt Boldy scored two goals to bring him to the 40 goal threshold for the first time in his career. Superstar Kirill Kaprizov recorded his 40th goal this season, the fourth time he has done so in the past five years.
Both stars reached their milestones, and made history in the process.
According to OPTA Stats, Boldy and Kaprizov are the first duo of players in the league's history to scored 40 goals "for the same team in the same season and each reach the mark in the same period of the same game."
Matt Boldy and Kirill Kaprizov of the @mnwild are the first pair of players in NHL history to each score 40 goals for the same team in the same season and each reach the mark in the same period of the same game. pic.twitter.com/RCmxcqvfWl
— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) April 3, 2026
Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy make rare history after both reach 40 goals on season
Boldy scored his 39th goal over eight minutes into regulation to give the Wild an early 1-0 lead. Less than a minute into the second period, Boldy secured his second goal for the game to tie the game at 2-2. Nearly halfway through the second period, Kaprizov scored the go-ahead goal to give Minnesota the 3-2 win. That helped clinch the rare feat that will be a piece of hockey trivia forever.
This game already had plenty of intrigue. There was the opportunity to clinch a playoff berth with an outright victory. This game also featured Quinn Hughes facing the Canucks, his former team, for the first time since the Wild traded for him in the blockbuster deal last December. It was a move that ensured the Wild were dead set on not only making the postseason, but also being legitimate contenders to win the Stanley Cup. To cap off an eventful night, Boldy and Kaprizov made rare history.
On the year, Kaprizov recorded 40 goals and 43 assists through 73 games. Meanwhile, Boldy has 40 goals and 39 assists to his credit through 71 games.
The Wild now have their playoff berth set in stone. In all likelihood, they will face off against the Stars (102 points in 76 games) in the opening round, given the Avalanche have 108 points through 74 games, while the Wild have 96 through 75 games. The Wild have not won a playoff series since 2015. It will be a tough test, but if Kaprizov and Boldy produce like they have this season, they could very well end that drought.