Matt Boldy gets tricky as Wild survive late Blues push

Perhaps even the Minnesota Wild players were sick of hearing about the injury report.

Wild left wing Matt Boldy shoots during Thursday's game against the St. Louis Blues in St. Paul. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr) Led by Matt Boldy’s fifth career hat trick, their patched-together lineup quickly erased an early deficit on the way to a 5-4 win over the St. Louis Blues on Thursday night at Grand Casino Arena.

Boldly was held without a point in the Wild’s first four games of the season, but now has five goals in the last four. He was joined by Kirill Kaprizov with his NHL-leading ninth goal and Danila Yurov on the score sheet as Minnesota bounced back quickly from Tuesday’s loss in Winnipeg. Their record stands at 5-2-1 for the season.

“That’s kind of how we want to play. We want to play hard and simple and let the game come once you get in there,” said Boldy, crediting his line’s forecheck for forcing the Blues into errors. “I think it just sets up a lot when you get teams running around out of position and you turn pucks over.”

Jesper Wallstedt, who has started seven of Minnesota’s eight games, had 20 saves as the Wild stayed perfect at home this season.

Wild goaltender Jesper Wallstedt defends the goal during Thursday's game against the St. Louis Blues in St. Paul. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr) With the game all but decided, the crowd erupted in boos late when Kaprizov chased a puck behind the Blues net and was clotheslined by St. Louis goalie Joel Hofer, who was penalized on the play. Kaprizov stayed out for one more shift and hit the post with a shot, then made an early exit from the rink.

Kaprizov was not available to the media following the game, but Wild coach John Hynes said the star forward is in good shape. Wallstedt, who looked ready to skate to the other end of the rink and drop gloves with Hofer, took notable exception to the hit.

“I think it’s a dirty play,” Wallstedt said. “There’s no reason for him to go out there and not play the puck and just play the player. He knows, everyone knows, that’s one of our best players. Up 5-2 there’s just no reason as a goalie to do that.”

The Wild were already without three defensemen, three forwards and a goalie due to various injuries on Thursday.

Minnesota’s penalty killers, who came into the game best in the NHL at home, got a test less than a minute into the game, and came up short. Blues winger Jonatan Berggren’s cut to the top of the crease and quick stick move put the Wild in an early hole. It was the first power play goal scored by the visiting team in St. Paul this season.

Wild left wing Kirill Kaprizov (97) looks to shoot as St. Louis Blues goaltender Joel Hofer (30) defend during Thursday's game in St. Paul. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr) The Wild answered before the first was half over, when a pair of St. Louis penalties gave Minnesota 28 seconds of 5-on-3 advantage, and Boldy scored for the third time in the past four games. They led a few minutes later on one of the prettier passing plays of the season with the all-Russian third line of Yakov Trenin, Maxim Shabanov and Yurov all touching the puck inside the blue line prior to the shot that gave Hofer precious little chance of making the save.

The Blues goalie kept the deficit at one goal with two point-blank saves on Minnesota’s NHL-best power play early in the middle frame, then St. Louis tied it at 2-2 on a Mason McTavish breakaway. The deadlock lasted exactly 27 seconds, before Boldy popped a high shot under the crossbar for his second of the game.

Wild right wing Bobby Brink looks to control the puck while in midair next to St. Louis Blues left wing Jake Neighbours during Thursday's game in St. Paul. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr) After Kaprizov finally extended the lead, he then set up Boldy’s third of the game as Minnesota began to pull away late in the second.

With former Gophers star Jimmy Snuggerud serving Hofer’s penalty, the Blues scored shorthanded to pull back within a pair. With Hofer on the bench, they got an extra attacker goal with 15 seconds left, but the Wild closed it out.

“I thought we played a real strong, collective team game,” Hynes said. “Throughout the lineup we got contributions, we played organized, we were stingy, highly competitive.”

Hofer finished with 33 saves for St. Louis (3-3-1) in the first of four meetings with Minnesota this season.

After a two-day break, the Wild host the Columbus Blue Jackets at 5 p.m. Sunday.

Briefly

On Thursday afternoon the Wild recalled defenseman Carson Lambos from Iowa and sent down forward Justin Kirkland. Lambos, a first round pick by the Wild in 2021, made his NHL debut with the team last season.