NHL2026-10-19Kirill Kaprizov's 10 Goals in 9 Games Are Real, and Matt Boldy Is the Wild Forward to Buy
By Verdexed Fantasy Desk
Kirill Kaprizov is the first player in the NHL to reach 10 goals this season, and he did it faster than anyone in Minnesota Wild history. His power-play goal at 3:06 of the second period on Sunday was the winner in a 2-1 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets at Grand Casino Arena, giving him 10 goals in nine games. The previous franchise record belonged to Brian Rolston, who needed 12 games to get to 10 in 2006-07.
Two weeks into the season, the more useful fantasy question is not whether Kaprizov is good, it is what is driving the start and who else benefits. The answer is a Wild power play that has been the most consistent unit in the league, and a top line that now has Matt Boldy producing again after a slow first week.
The hot start, by the numbers
Kaprizov has scored in three straight games and has points in six straight, with seven goals and five assists during that streak. He scored three times against the Panthers on Oct. 10, and he has been the focal point of Minnesota's offense since. After Sunday's win, he said the first couple of games had been tough and that he feels better now, which tracks with how the production has accelerated.
Per reports after the game, he is also only the sixth active player to reach 10 goals in nine games or fewer, joining Auston Matthews, Alex Ovechkin, David Pastrnak, Nikita Kucherov and Sidney Crosby. That is the company a true elite goal scorer keeps, not a fluke.
| Wild player | Key stat (through Oct. 18) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Kirill Kaprizov | 10 goals in 9 games | Leads NHL in goals |
| Kirill Kaprizov | 12 points in 6-game streak | 7 goals, 5 assists |
| Matt Boldy | 41 shots on goal | Second in NHL |
| Danila Yurov | 4 goals in 9 games | Opened scoring Sunday |
| Jesper Wallstedt | 6 wins | Starter with Gustavsson on LTIR |
| Wild power play | 9-for-28 | PP goal in 8 of 9 games |
The engine: Minnesota's power play
The most important number for fantasy managers is the power play. Minnesota has scored with the man advantage in eight of its nine games and is 9-for-28 overall. That kind of consistency matters more than a hot shooting week, because it means Kaprizov has a nightly path to production even when even-strength play stalls. His goal on Sunday was a classic example: a sharp-angle shot from low in the left circle, short side over Cam Talbot's shoulder, on a game in which Minnesota outshot Columbus 34-14.
Joel Eriksson Ek picked up his 200th career assist on the goal, a reminder that the Wild's net-front and bumper roles are filled by players who make the unit work. Quinn Hughes, acquired in last December's blockbuster, gives the unit an elite puck-moving quarterback, which is a structural reason to believe the power-play production holds up better than a typical early-season spike.
Boldy is the better buy right now
Kaprizov is not a buy-low candidate; his manager will not move him at a discount. Boldy is the more interesting trade target, even though the window is closing. He had no points in his first five games after a career-high 42-goal, 85-point season in 2025-26, and several fantasy outlets listed him as a buy-low option last week.
Since then, the production has arrived. Boldy scored a hat trick and added an assist in Thursday's 5-4 win over St. Louis, and all of his early-season points came in a four-game burst. More importantly, the process never left. He had six shots on Sunday and now has 41 on the season, second in the NHL. Shot volume is the most stable early indicator for a goal scorer, and Boldy's is elite.
If a league-mate still values Boldy off his first week, this is the last chance to buy him at anything less than full price. The Kaprizov streak also keeps opposing defenses focused on one side of the ice, which helps Boldy's quality of looks.
The supporting cast: Yurov and Wallstedt
Danila Yurov opened the scoring Sunday with his fourth goal in nine games, and coach John Hynes said afterward that Yurov will become a top-two line center. That is a role signal worth acting on in deeper leagues: a young center trending toward top-six minutes next to elite wingers is the kind of player who gains value through the season.
In goal, Jesper Wallstedt picked up his sixth win on Sunday, making 13 saves as the Wild held Columbus to 14 shots, tied for the second-lowest total allowed in franchise history. Filip Gustavsson is on long-term injured reserve while recovering from offseason hip surgery, with no firm return date, and Calvin Pickard is the backup. Until Gustavsson returns, Wallstedt is a volume starter on a team that limits shots, which is the profile fantasy managers want.
Risks to the trend
The Wild's blue line is thin. Brock Faber is out after surgery for a fractured skull, and captain Jared Spurgeon was placed on injured reserve on Sunday with an upper-body injury, retroactive to Oct. 12. Spurgeon is eligible to return Tuesday when Minnesota visits Edmonton. Minnesota recalled defenseman Carson Lambos and forward Hunter Haight from AHL Iowa. A depleted defense can push more of the load onto Hughes, which is good for his fantasy line but could make Minnesota leakier at even strength against stronger offenses.
Kaprizov's pace will also cool. Ten goals in nine games is not a sustainable rate for anyone, and fantasy managers should value him as an elite goal scorer, not a 90-goal outlier. The power-play volume is the part of the trend that is most likely to last.
Betting and Verdexed angle
For player props, the Wild's power-play consistency and Boldy's shot volume are the two most actionable inputs. One props preview for Sunday's game noted that Boldy's current shot pace sits well above his established baseline, and that kind of gap tends to close as books adjust. Kaprizov anytime-goal prices will already reflect the streak.
Verdexed's model weighs special-teams form, goaltending and lineup changes such as the Spurgeon and Faber absences when evaluating Wild games. See Verdexed's NHL predictions page at /nhl/predictions for the model's view of Minnesota's matchups, and the daily card at /blog/nhl-picks-2026-10-19. Bettors should be of legal betting age in their jurisdiction.
What's next
The Wild (6-2-1, first in the Central) head to Edmonton on Tuesday, a matchup that will test their power play against an opponent that can trade goals. Watch whether Spurgeon returns and how Hynes deploys Yurov.
The takeaway: start Kaprizov everywhere and enjoy the run, make a trade offer for Boldy before his shot volume turns into a second goal binge, roster Wallstedt as a weekly starter while Gustavsson is on LTIR, and in deeper leagues, add Yurov ahead of a likely move into a top-six center role.